Gakuren Akiyama: Rise Of the Fox Spirit
by Funtom65
Summary: This isn't much of a fanfic. anymore. Gakuren Akiyama, now an Earl in training, Returns to The Leaf village in order to protect the people & his friends from a rising war with the evil Fox spirit- Satsugai Kitsune who has reincarnated for thousands of years. As she rises, Gakuren assembles his new clan of Griffins & Demons to defeat her & protect the two worlds he holds dear.
1. A Fox that Comes Back Again & Again

CHAPTER 1:

I woke up to see I was in my bed room now. I groaned tiredly and sat up. Because of all that paper work, I feel like my hand is going to fall off.

It's been 2 years since I left the leaf village & live back in Extail. I'm missing the sakura trees back in the human world. Here in extail, we don't have those kinds of trees.

I heard someone knock on my door.

"Come in." I said & got out of bed. Our family's assistant Rune opened the door.

Rune has been with my family for years & I was glad she wasn't killed along with my clan. The only survivors of my clan is me-Gakuren Akiyama, my brother-Moon Akiyama & our loyal assistant-Rune Claire.

"Good morning young master." She said & came in with a cup of what looked like hot chocolate.

"Good morning Rune. What's the schedule for today?" I asked her while putting on a jacket since I was wearing a sleeveless as usual.

"Today you & master Moon have a meeting with Earl Fukui at 12 o' clock sharp & Ms. Kabayashi has invited you to her birthday party which will be held at her mansion at 8 pm." She explained & I sighed.

"What time is it?"

"It's only 9 am young master. You still have some time to do what you like before your meetings." She explained. I nodded at that & stretched my arms.

"Well, today is a loose schedule. Where's Moon?" I asked & sipped some sweet hot chocolate.

"He's at the garden with the young mistress." She said. I nodded & finished the cup. I handed it to her & she bowed to me.

"Well, I'll just take a bath." I said & she bowed once more.

"Then I'll be leaving now young master." She said. I nodded & she left then closed the door.

I yawned & walked out to my balcony. I sighed at the sight of the sun high in the air.

"I miss the village…" I mumbled & walked into my bathroom to take a good bath.

I decided to wear long black jogging pants along with a striped sweater & a padded jacket since it was really cold in the Capital city.

My brother Moon, who I was reunited with after years of being separated because he was kidnapped when he was a kid, really wanted us to live at the outskirts of the Capital city but it was a horrible choice since it was really cold when you go outside the house.

I put on some sneakers which weren't known back in the human world. even though I was kind of a junior Earl after my brother, I could still wear whatever I wanted. Although I still can't fail snickering after seeing Moon wearing suits whenever he goes outside.

I got to the garden & shivered when the air tackled me.

"Wahh!" I shouted & shuddered. I saw both Moon & Hikari sitting at the new table set Hikari bought in the countryside. Slowly, our messy, boyish house was getting more feminine.

They both turned to me & smiled.

"Morning, Gakuren." Hikari greeted.

"Morning, kiddo." Moon greeted with a grin. I rolled my eyes at him, I hate his cheerfulness.

"Morning, guys." I said & sat on the soft grass.

Yes, the two of them got married a week right after they reunited back in the human world. Actually, it still makes me queasy to even see them holding hands.

"Hey, we have a meeting with Salem's dad." I informed him & lied on my back, looking up at the clear blue skies.

"Oh, right. You know you don't have to come. You can go have fun with your friends." Moon said making me sit up really quickly.

"Really?!" I asked with an excited tone. To be honest, I really wasn't one for meetings & parties. I didn't really like gatherings & I tend to get sleepy in meetings.

"Yeah. But starting tomorrow, you have to come with me in meetings since you're also an Earl." He said while sipping tea.

"Oh, it's also Anzu's birthday. She really wants you to attend. Although, I don't think it's a birthday party since she's invited all the bachelors in the city." Moon laughed.

I rolled my eyes at that. Anzu Kabayashi was a girl who was said to be looking for a boyfriend in the city & she was actually desperate enough to invite all the bachelors in the city.

"I don't wanna go alone…" I whined & Hikari giggled.

"Oh, I heard your friends are going too." She said & I looked down at the grass.

"You have to go. I'm allowing you not to go to meetings for a while but you have to go to the gatherings even though you don't like it." moon said. I sighed & nodded.

"Okay, I'm going." I sighed & lied back down the grass.

"Yo!" someone yelled & I was suddenly dangling up in the air.

"Wha- hey!" I shouted. I struggled against the tough net & looked down to see Arata & Kai.

"Ahaha! Got you! I've been doing that a lot but why do you still fall for it?!" Arata laughed while holding a string in his hand.

"Put me down now! It's freezing you know!" I yelled. Arata snickered & let go of the string. My eyes widened & I fell to the hard ground.

"Ow." I mumbled.

After a long wrestling game with Arata with me winning (naturally), the five of us headed out to go around the city.

"So, you going to Anzu's boyfriend search?" Kai asked with a smile. I snorted back.

"I don't have to wear a tux do I?" I groaned.

"haha, as if! All of us will be wearing tuxedos. Well, it is only one day so just bear with it." Arata chuckled.

"Where's Salem & Ryuu?" I asked.

"Salem's at a gathering with his father & I'm sure Ryuu's at the public library. He was itching to go there since yesterday." Kai said.

"Oh right. Since the library was being renovated, he was going nuts." Arata snickered.

So, the capital city is very big & considered the biggest city in Extail. There are tons of shops, big houses & there are many schools here. This is where every political thing happens & lots of important people live here. At first the Mayor of the city wanted us to live in the city but I insisted for us to live in the outskirts where there are many trees & I'm far from the noise of the city.

While we walked through the streets, people greeted us like usual. It was actually almost the same as when I walked the streets of the leaf village. But here, people see me all the time so, they don't stare too much.

We walked past the shops & I saw a man with a giant leopard on a leash. That was normal here but I guess if Naruto & the others were here, they would really freak out.

We got to the front of the library & I gasped to see it had 5 floors. Before it only had 2 floors.

Ryuu must be going mad in there right now.

We went in & asked the librarian if she saw a boy with silver hair come in.

"Oh, yes. He came in just a while ago. Although I don't know where he is now." she said. We nodded & thanked her then went to the second floor.

"Oi! Ryuu! Where are you?" Arata cried gaining attention from the other people. They gave us dirty looks I hit his head.

"Will you be-"

"Quiet."

We turned to see Ryuu walking to us with a stack of books in his hands.

"Oh, hi Gakuren. You're free today?" he asked.

"Yeah…that's a lot of books." I pointed & he chuckled.

"What brings you guys here?" Ryuu asked.

"Nothing really. We just wanted to see if you were here. Are you going to Anzu's birthday?" Kai asked & Ryuu nodded.

After finding Ryuu, we spent the entire morning talking & walking around the city. Having nothing to do around this place is really...frustrating. Not training makes me feel like I'm useless.

"I don't want to wear that thing!" I roared. Kai, Ryuu & Arata chuckled at me. We were at my room right now & we have to get to Anzu's house before 8. But since it's already 7:56, I doubt we'll make it there in time to be considered punctual.

Kai held out the black tux & bow tie to me with a grin.

"Oh, come on. Look at Ryuu & me! We're already wearing these!" he said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. I looked at both of them & Kai wore the same black tux but he didn't wear a bow tie & left the white inner shirt slightly unbuttoned, exposing his collar bones. Ryuu was wearing a silver tux with a bow tie as well. It was weird seeing them like this since they tend to act like preschoolers.

"What about you?!" I yelled & pointed to Arata.

"What? I'm going to wear it once you do!" he shouted back & my mouth twitched.

"Will you guys hurry up? We'll be late." someone said from the door.

We all turned to the door & saw Salem wearing a black tux with vertical white lines & he wore a long tie. His red hair's gotten longer now & it's already up to his shoulders.

"But…" I started & shuddered when he suddenly stomped over to me with that really scary glare of his & put his hand on my head then started pushing my head down.

"You're not the only one to suffer kid. So hurry up & put the darn suit on." He growled through his teeth & I immediately nodded.

"O-Okay!" I sad with a shaky voice & took the tux with me into the bathroom.

I got out my bathroom stiff & gloomy. They all turned to me & started whooping & clapping their hands.

"Our little Gaku looks good in a tux!" kai snickered. I scowled at him & we all fixed ourselves & went downstairs.

Rune was standing at the front doors with the other maids & butlers. Once we got down, some of the maids blushed.

Rune bowed to us with a smile. "Young masters, have a good night." She said.

I nodded to her with a tight smile.

"Did Moon & Hikari already leave for that meeting with the mayor?" I asked her & she nodded. I nodded back & we bid them goodbye then went out to the garden. We all stood out together & Kai chuckled.

"We haven't floated up the sky for a long time now have we?" he asked with a smile. I chuckled at him & thought of making a large air bird. In a second, we were all floating up the sky.

I looked down to see a figure of a large & wide invisible bird. Two small circular tornadoes whirled next to each other & disappeared then reappeared. It's been a while since I summoned an animal made of air.

"Wow! Alright, Gakuren!" Arata yelled happily & crouched down, looking down at our mansion which was now getting smaller since we were getting higher.

"Hey guys, why don't we go in with style. Like we did when we were still little squirts?" Salem chuckled. We looked at each other & chuckled. We put our hands in our pockets & stood like cool guys in suits. With the wind messing up our hair, I would imagine us looking like mafia guys.

We landed in front of the large mansion & I could hear the people conversing with each other inside. We fixed ourselves & approached the large wooden gates. When I was about to knock, they opened & I froze at the sight of all the people. They all looked at us & one girl gasped.

I gulped & immediately lost my confidence. I jumped a bit when Kai put his hand on my shoulder. I turned to see him grinning at me.

"Relax kid. We'll only be here for an hour so don't worry." He said & we walked to the house.

Once we came in, someone immediately took my hand & whisked me away from the others.

I was now in the middle of the room with everyone staring at me. I looked down to see a girl with wavy brown hair tied in a pink ribbon. She had a lot of make up on & she was wearing a glittering pink dress. She wasn't really my type of girl & she was really talkative.

"Hi Anzu. Happy birthday." I said with a low voice. "Why'd you have to pull me out here? Jeez…" I hissed through my teeth. I vaguely remember Anzu being my classmate back in my school days. If you think I'm still going to school, I dropped out since I had a hard time with taking care of both school work and paper work.

"Well, I wanted to dance with the coolest guy in the city." She giggled. I blinked & gave her a small smile then we started waltzing to the music. I didn't want to dance with her but since it's her birthday, I can't disappoint her.

I looked at my friends who were standing near the table filled with food. They looked at me as well & snickered. I gave them a look saying 'help me out of this!'

While we waltzed to the music, I tensed feeling this huge aura around the house.

Right on cue, the window burst, spraying glass on the floor & from outside, I heard a woman scream. Suddenly, giant wolves sprang out from the window, growling with foamy mouths.

"Get the people out of here. Now." I told Anzu. She nodded & frantically started pushing the people to safety. My friends ran to my side.

"What the heck is this?" Salem asked. "Gakuren, Ryuu, take care of the wolves we'll evacuate the place. Can you handle it?" Salem asked & we both nodded. Kai, Arata & Salem spread out in all directions & looked for the others.

The wolves then started running around the house, attacking older & important people. One wolf ran out & its coat turned to spikes, piercing some of the people.

"Ryuu take care of that one!" I said & he ran out. I turned to the wolf in the dance floor. It attacked a group of people & was about to bite one man into half.

"HEY!" I shouted at it then ice materialized in my hand. I threw it to the wolf's head & it turned to me, annoyed.

The group of people managed to escape & run to safety while the wolf turned to me, growling. Its tail turned puffed into spikes. It turned its back to me & swung its tail. I raised my left hand & dirt protected me from the wolf's spiky tail.

"Tch. Bad dog." I said with a smirk. I lunged the wolf & grabbed its snout. It whimpered & started thrashing around. I wrestled with it until its fur turned spiky, piercing through my tux & ripping it.

"Ah darn it." I growled. I summoned a katana & it lunged me. Horrible idea. It whimpered as my katana pierced its chest. Suddenly, the wolf exploded & it rained sparkly white dust.

"Gakuren!"

I turned to see Ryuu running to me. "here." He said & held out a piece of wrinkly paper.

Written on it was some kind of warning.

"_Prepare for war. Young Earl… your precious village shall suffer. I'll look forward to seeing you again._

_-Satsugai Kitsune" _

It said & my eyes widened.

"My village…? The leaf…" I trailed off & looked at Ryuu with troubled eyes.

"We have to tell Moon." I said & ran to find Kai & the others.

We got home & saw Moon & Hikari in the main room sipping tea & talking to each other.

"Guys!" I shouted. They turned to us & gasped.

"What happened to you?! Well, my tux is ruined." Moon whined. I rolled my eyes at him & took out the paper with the threat written on it.

Once he read it, he crumbled it in his hands & it burst into flames.

"Kitsune…" he growled under his breath. Hikari stood behind him with her hand on his shoulder.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Gakuren, will you go back to the human world?" he suddenly asked looking at me with a serious face. I immediately nodded & he nodded as well.

"Then you'll have to leave tomorrow. The humans in that village are in danger." He said & turned his back to us.

"Wait!" I called but he kept on walking. We passed through the corridors & stopping the library. He started going through shelves, looking for a book.

"Moon, who's Kitsune? What the heck does that person want with the village?" I asked.

"Aha!" he suddenly said triumphantly.

I heard footsteps behind me & turned to see my friends & Hikari approach us.

"What's going on?" Arata asked. Moon took out a brown book with some of the pages sticking out. The pages were bound by thick white strings & it looked really old. Moon opened it & started going through the pages.

"Satsugai Kitsune, she's a fox spirit." He said his voice filled with anger. He turned the book to me & I saw a painting of a black fox with an army of demons & other griffins behind it. It sat watching the demons & griffins kill & devour humans. Once I saw its red eyes, I suddenly felt angry & my heart beat like a drum.

I felt like ripping this page right now & I felt like I had a grudge against this fox.

"She's our clan's greatest enemy. She was a griffin in the past but turned into a demon that wanted to purge this world & the human world into darkness. Five thousand years ago, she was the strongest griffin & she turned rogue. Our 3 times great grandfather was able to kill her but she came back as a demon after 300 years.

"She reigned over Extail for a while then the next clan head was able to destroy her once more. After that, she returned again & tried to destroy extail. Then she came back after 400 years…she killed our grandfather." He explained with his fist balled up. "You were there…when grandfather was murdered…" he trailed off.

I froze & my head throbbed. I remember seeing my grandfather get killed right in front of me. "_Run_" he told me. I ran, not knowing what was happening & that was it.

"She…she did that?" I asked with s shaky voice. I don't remember it that much. But I remember my grandfather all too well. I remember sitting on his lap & hearing him tell me stories of when he fought great opponents. I also remember walking out in the garden with him, the faint smell of smoke coming from his pipe. I love my grandfather.

"Great. Another enemy…" I mumbled.

"Yeah. And this time it's a very persistent one. So I bet she looks like an old lady now right?" Arata asked thoughtfully & I hit my forehead with my hand.

"She reincarnates Arata. So her appearance changes every time she comes back." I explained.

"You have to go back to the human world Gakuren. Whatever she's planning, I'm sure it has something to do with destroying either Extail or the human world." Moon said. I nodded my head in understanding.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow." I said.

"Hey, we're coming with you." Kai said & I smiled a bit.

"Okay then." I replied.

"You won't confront Kitsune with your small army. You need to find supporters. There are many strong griffins & demons in the human world. You just don't know it. I advise you to look for Crane Igarashi. He's a very strong demon & I know him. Just tell him you're my brother & he'll join you." Moon explained.

"How many do we actually need?" I asked & Moon chuckled nervously.

"Well, you need more than a hundred. A real army Gakuren." He said.

"Won't you come with us?" I asked & he shook his head.

"I'll need to inform the other leaders about this & find more subordinates. We need all the help we can get no matter how strong you are." He said.

"Oh, you remember Yuki?" he asked all of a sudden & my eyes brightened.

"Yuki? She's here?! Where?!" I asked frantically.

Yuki Shimizu was my childhood friend & I haven't seen her in such a long time.

"Ahaha, relax. I'll ask her to go to the leaf village tomorrow. Here…" Moon handed me a white ring. I put it on & he held out his hand. It was the same as his marriage ring & I jumped.

"Huh?! Hey! We're not a married couple! Why is it the same with your marriage ring?! I shouted with embarrassment. He rolled his eyes at me.

"It's to keep in touch with you. I'll inform you if anything bad happens." He said. I calmed down & thought about that fox. A chaos spirit huh? I grit my teeth & sighed.

"Okay then. We'll leave tomorrow right?" I asked. I took the book into my hands & gave moon a confident smile.

"This'll be fun." I said with a smirk. He rolled his eyes with a smile & messed up my hair.

Satsugai Kitsune, a new opponent & a new challenge. The fun begins tomorrow then.


	2. Reunion With Squad 7!

CHAPTER 2:

It was already 9 am & today, we're leaving for the human world. I was really excited to see how much the others have grown. I wore the usual black pants, a white sleeveless shirt paired with a white leather jacket. I wore black leather boots & tied my black scarf around my neck & put on white leather fingerless gloves.

"Gakuren! Come on, let's go!" Salem called.

"Coming!" I yelled back. I then looked in the mirror & saw my hair was getting longer now. It was actually as long as Moon's now.

I sighed & went down the stairs. Once I got down. I saw my friends were all wearing something made from leather.

Salem wore a black long sleeved shirt along with faded jeans & leather boots like mine. Arata wore loose black pants & a red sleeveless shirt that had chains hanging from the chest pocket & he had a black leather belt. With a silver chain hanging from his loose pants, he looked like a bad boy which suited him very well since he always gets away with all his pranks.

Kai wore black pants with a white button down shirt paired with a black blazer. He wore black leather shoes & had a spiky bracelet on his left wrist & tons of other bracelets dangled from his right wrist.

I was really surprised by Ryuu's clothes though. He wore grey pants, a red shirt paired with a black jacket & as usual he had that black choker around his neck. What surprised me was that he had lots of accessories on him. It was really weird since he finds accessories troublesome.

He had lots of silver rings, a gold chain dangled from his pocket & like Kai, he had lots of bracelets. He even had a katana strapped to his back.

"Are you guys going to fight right now? You look like a delinquent gang." I said.

They scowled at me.

"Okay, this ain't a fashion show so let's get going!" Salem said heading out to the garden. Moon walked up to me & put his hand on my shoulder.

"Be careful out there Gakuren. Since that fox sent out that letter, I'm sure there are demons & griffins waiting for you out there." He said with eyes filled with worry & guilt.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. My friends are here & with the five of us working together, it'll be hard to take us down." I said confidently.

Moon smiled at me & Hikari approached me with a big basket in her hands. She handed it to me & kissed my cheek.

"Be careful. I packed some food for you kids. Don't do anything reckless okay?" she said with a motherly smile. I gave her a smile & they both hugged me.

"Hey, let's go Gaku, Salem's getting way too excited to see the human girls." Kai chuckled.

"Oh, kai, don't be a bother okay?" Hikari smiled. Kai rolled his eyes at her & gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, whatever. Ooh, food." Kai said & took the basket from my hands.

"Hey! Don't eat the food!" I yelled to him & chased him out the garden.

"Bye guys!" I called out to the two of them. The five of us stood in one line & we started floating up the sky.

Moon & Hikari came out the doors & waved goodbye. We then flew to the portal Moon made for us & I took in a deep breath. I'm finally going back to the human world.

We arrived at an open field & at the end of the field; we saw a hole in the shape of an hourglass. The inside was pure darkness.

"Okay, you guys ready?" I asked them. They all nodded & we all crouched down on our knees.

"Ready…GO!" Arata yelled & we raced each other, pushing & shoving to see who gets in first.

Once I stepped through that hole, I felt my stomach flip & I felt nauseous. That's one of the reasons why I hate it when Moon's the one making the portals for me. Master always makes sure the portal doesn't give any side effects.

I fell to the ground face first & groaned when the others fell on top of me.

"Get off me will you?" I growled. They got off me & I stood up dusting myself. I looked around to see tall familiar trees & the dirt path. Far off, I could see the gates of the leaf village.

We all walked to the village & arrived at the old bridge. Guess it isn't that old. We walked down the bridge & I have to be honest, I got a little nervous when it started moving up & down.

While we were walking over the bridge, I suddenly felt this huge power coming from under us. I looked down & got the shock of my life.

"GUYS! JUMP!" I yelled & something really huge jumped up from the darkness and destroyed the bridge. Luckily, we were able to jump up the air in time. I summoned a water bird & we all crouched on the birds back while looking down at the dust explosion.

"What in the world was that?!" Kai yelled in alarm.

Right on cue, something with yellow feline eyes jumped up the air with his hand reaching out towards us.

"AKIYAMAAA!" it yelled with a low & powerful voice. I gasped & the bird flew high up. I spread my hands in front of me & blasted the thing with huge sharp ice. The ice hit his face but it didn't seem to faze him.

He jumped to the ground & the earth shook.

"A demon." Ryuu said.

So, this is the beginning of that darned fox's attacks.

This demon had long red hair & he had huge canine teeth. And, he was absolutely gigantic. He then took out a long & giant pipe then started smoking.

"So, you are our first challenge? What's your name?" I asked.

He puffed out smoke & sat on the edge of the cliff then looked up at me with those feline eyes. "Chikara. Lady Kitsune ordered me to watch over this bridge." He replied.

I narrowed my eyes at him & looked down at the dark nothingness. There must be something down there.

"GAKUREN!"

I looked up & Chikara punched me down. My back slammed the ground & I gasped for air. Such power & strength!

He started punching me over & over again.

At first I was still fine but after 10 more hits, I could feel the pain & my vision was getting blurry.

"GAKUREN!" I heard Kai yell. Chikara lifted his gigantic hand then gave me another strong punch making me cough out blood.

I gasped for air & groaned.

"You weakling." Chikara said & I snapped.

While he was about to punch me, I felt power rise in me once his fist got closer to my face, I lifted my finger & lightly pushed him.

"Weakling?" I growled.

He looked at me wide eyed then flew backwards, sliding through the trees & showing a bare dirt path. Like a meteor flew through the valley.

"Gakuren!"

I turned to see my friends running to me. I gave them a small smile.

"Hey." I said. They stared at me then looked at each other & chuckled.

"Look at yourself. You're a wreck." Arata said pulling up my sleeve which was ripped off. I sighed.

"Ah, and this was one of my favorite outfits." I sighed.

"What do we do with _him_?" Kai asked nodding to the unconscious demon.

"Seal him. That's the best option." Salem said with a serious face. We all turned to him & I suddenly raked & coughed. I put my hand on my mouth & I felt something warm fall onto my hand. I pulled my hand away & saw lots of blood.

I breathed slowly, making sure I relax and recover.

"You okay?" Ryuu asked & I nodded. "Don't worry." I replied.

We all stood behind Salem & he spread his hands. The ground shook & slowly, the unconscious demon was being swallowed by the earth.

"Wow, I've never seen you seal a demon before." I said, tilting my head to the side.

He ignored me & he waved his hand up. A black wisp of smoke appeared on his hand & flew to the buried demon, growing wider & longer. Once it was close enough, it enveloped the entire mound (more like mountain) & the mountain was now covered by trees & bushed so you can barely see it.

Salem sighed & wiped his forehead. He turned to us with a gloomy expression.

"I need a girl _right now_." he said. My mouth twitched & I rolled my eyes at him.

"Come on." Kai said & we started walking again.

It was already early noon & it was really hot here and since there were no people around, I took off my jacket & so did Ryuu.

"Why is it suddenly so hot!?" Salem yelled with irritation.

"Yeah. I'm beat. Hey, make it rain." Arata said looking at me with a spent expression.

"Sadly, I can't do that." I mumbled weakly.

"Hey, aren't you wondering where that fox spirit is?" Kai asked looking at me. I blinked at him & shook my head.

"Not really. I'm sure it must be a very popular place among humans. Like a castle or something. If she's confident in herself then she would most probably choose an obvious hideout." I said thoughtfully.

Kai nodded & sighed. "But the problem is, what is she reincarnates again? Isn't there some kind of technique that can kill her for good?" he asked & I shrugged my shoulders.

"Right now we should just focus on finding our allies. I'll leave the techniques to Moon." I said & kai stayed silent after that.

When he becomes quiet, I just know he's feeling worried & troubled. You might think it's better for me to talk to him but I really have nothing to say for him to be relieved & it's best to let him think for himself for a bit. If I even slightly bother him, he just might send a rock flying to my face.

After a few more hours, we were already at the gates & I felt my heart flutter. I have a feeling this place hasn't changed even once.

"Let's go." I said & lightly pushed the huge gates, once it opened, I felt so happy like I found something I've lost for a long time.

I looked around to see the same houses, shops & buildings. I could even see the hokage faces from afar.

"Wow. This place hasn't changed even a bit!" Arata said with awe.

"Not really. There's a new face on the mountain." Ryuu said while pointing at the hokage faces. I raised my brows with surprise when I saw the new face on the rock. It was a woman's face although I had no idea who it is. I shrugged & stretched my arms.

"Well, let's go & meet the new hokage." I said.

While we were walking down the familiar streets, people started murmuring & looking at us. They then started to smile at us & talk louder.

"Oh! It's Gakuren!" one man yelled. One after another, they started greeting us. While I was talking with a grandpa, someone tapped me from behind. I turned to see a cute girl with blonde hair looking up at me with flirty eyes.

"Hi Gakuren. You've been gone so long, how about we go around?" she asked & when I was about to decline, Salem flew past me & kneeled before the girl.

"Oh, I'd love to go with you. Instead of that _emotionless zombie_, how 'bout you & I stroll along the path of love?" he said with his seducing voice.

It's been a long time since I've heard that & I find it even more irritating now.

The edge of my mouth twitched & I punched his head down, making him fall to the ground just like before. It seems that Salem tends to let his guard down around girls.

"Will you _stop_ that? And what _emotionless zombie_?" I hissed through my teeth. Those words felt really hurtful in case you guys want to know. I'm not emotionless!

After pulling Salem away from all the girls, Ryuu finally got mad & with Kai's help, we wrapped him in a very long blanket & tied him up. Kai carried him on his back & after throwing a tantrum, Salem was finally quiet.

He must've gotten tired & slept.

While we walked down another street, I stopped when I heard a familiar voice.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY THOUGHT YOU'VE MATURED YOU GIANT IDIOT!" the voice yelled.

I turned to the sound & we walked to the direction of the yeller.

Once I entered the next street, I couldn't help but smile to see Naruto being beaten up by Sakura like before.

But they've totally grown up.

Sakura still had short hair but now instead of that long red robe, she wore tight black shorts with a pink covering & she wore a red sleeveless shirt &she was wearing black gloves. She looked really cool with those clothes.

And Naruto! The change in him! He still had that same hairstyle; messy.

He wore orange pants with a black & orange jacket. But he was taller now. It was hard to believe he was a little squirt back then.

I looked at my friends with a smile & they chuckled.

"Gaku…ren?"

I turned & saw along with Sakura & Naruto, Jiraiya, Kakashi & a blonde woman with some kind of blue diamond on her forehead. Tattoo maybe?

She had a green jacket over her shoulders.

"Oh, so it _is_ true. Hello there griffins. It's been a long time hasn't it?" Kakashi sensei asked with smiling eyes.

"Hey. It has been a long time. This place hasn't changed a bit." I said & we walked up to them.

All of a sudden, someone talked me from the side making me fall.

"Woah!" I yelled & fell to the ground. I looked down at the familiar messy hair & smiled to see Konohamaru's happy face.

"GAKUREN!" he yelled happily & hugged my stomach until I couldn't breathe.

"I missed you too kiddo." I chuckled. He got off me & I got up.

"So, you're the third's other grandson huh?" the woman asked.

I blinked at her & nodded my head then bowed. "Yes. I'm Gakuren Akiyama. It's nice to meet you. These are my friends, Kai, Ryuu, Arata…Oh, and Salem here." I said & Kai turned his back to us showing the gloomy eyes of Salem while he was buried like a little worm.

"Gakuren, this is the 5th hokage, Lady Tsunade." Kakashi said. She turned to me with a kind smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm glad there's a new hokage to take care of the village." I said with a kind smile.

"It's nice to meet you too. You don't look like the old man. But, you look a lot like your father." She said thoughtfully and I blinked with surprise.

"You've met my father?" I asked & she nodded.

"Yes. The old man & he would be seen walking around the village a lot." She explained. I nodded in understanding & someone tapped my shoulder. I turned to see Sakura looking up at me with a smile.

"Gakuren. It's been a long time. We've missed you here." she smiled. I gave her a smile & was about to give her a hug when someone ran over me making me fall on my face.

"Oh, beautiful cherry blossom, we meet once again!" Salem rejoiced. I twitched & looked u to see Salem with Sakura's hands in his.

That Casanova…

"And you this will be the last time you'll embarrass us." Kai said & dragged him away by the ear then he summoned a very large vase that was on top of a pull kart & threw Salem in.

I sighed & got up, dusting myself.

"I missed you guys too." I told Sakura. "Sorry about Salem. We should've put that animal in a cage before we got here." I mumbled.

"Well, do I look more like a woman now?" Sakura asked, blushing. I studied her & gave her a small smile.

"You look really cool." I simply said.

"Hey, no greetings for me?!"

I turned to see Naruto scowling at me. I chuckled & patted his head since I was still taller than him.

"Hey Naruto." I greeted & he stared up at me & smiled widely.

"Nice to see you again weirdo." He greeted & I put my hand on his head then started pushing him down.

"Nice to see you too little squirt." I hissed with a smile.


	3. SakuraFrightening:NarutoStill Useful

CHAPTER 3:

Salem, Kai, Ryuu & Arata have already left to go to my house & left me behind with my teammates so we could spend some time together. While the 3 of us were walking to the street leading to my house, I suddenly remembered.

"Where's Sasuke? Is he busy? Haven't seen him around yet." I said then Sakura & Naruto froze & stopped walking.

I turned to them with a confused expression.

"What?" I asked them & they had an expression like someone died.

"Umm, Gakuren…" Sakura trailed off, trying not to look me in the eye.

"Sasuke's gone." She said with sadness in her voice. I froze & gulped.

"What? How?" I asked & she explained everything to me. Once she was done, I felt like my head was hit by a ton of rocks. I felt angry, sad & disappointed.

"He left to find _Orochimaru_? That _monster_?" I growled through my teeth while I balled up my fist. I kept my eyes on the ground, pulling back the urge to punch a wall. How could he team up with that snake?! Nothing good will ever come from teaming up with that killer.

"We tried to stop him but, he wouldn't listen." Sakura said guiltily. I took a deep breath & looked up at them with serious eyes.

"What will we do about him?" I asked.

"I'm going to bring him back." Naruto said & I scoffed.

"What so funny?" he growled.

"What will you do if he refuses? Sasuke isn't the type to go quietly. Plus, if you brought him here, nothing good will come out from it anyway." I said & Naruto slammed me to the wall with my shirt in his fist.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried. I stared at Naruto with surprise.

"Are you saying Sasuke doesn't deserve to be here anymore? That the village will become bad if he's here?!" he growled at me. And I stared at him with serious eyes.

"What makes _you_ any better than him?! You left too!" he shouted at me & something in me snapped. I lightly pushed his forehead & he flew back to the wall & the wall cracked. He fell to the ground & he looked up at me, growling. When he was about to get up, I raised my hand & his wrists were tied up by ice & he stuck to the wall.

"Guys, stop it!" Sakura cried. I ignored her & approached Naruto. He glowered at me & I glared at him the best I can. His glower disappeared & was replaced by fearful eyes.

"Did I _want_ to leave? Did you even _consider_ that?" I growled through my teeth & he looked up at me with a shocked expression.

"Then why _did_ you leave?" he asked & I rolled my eyes.

"You've forgotten I'm the son of an Earl; Someone that people expect to have greatness, power, selflessness & they expect you to be hard working. Now that I'm with Moon, we have to do our jobs as Earls in training. We also carry not just hundreds but thousands of lives on our shoulders. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't just stay here & enjoy my life with you guys." I said with a glare.

"I'm not a kid anymore guys. At this age, I'm expected to lead people so, it's harder than you think." I continued.

They both looked at me with guilty expressions & they looked down at the ground. I suddenly realized I was just pouring my stress onto them. All that work & no break, I must've been a jerk back in Extail.

"I'm…I'm sorry. I'm just stressed is all." I said apologetically. Sakura approached me & put her hand on my shoulder.

"It's fine. We understand." She said with a small smile. I gave her a smile as well & sighed. I turned to Naruto & the ice melted off his wrists.

He kept his eyes on the ground, not looking at me.

"I'm sorry Gakuren." He said with a low voice. I snorted.

"It's okay." I said & he got up.

"Come on. Kakashi sensei wants us to go to the training grounds." He said & walked past me & sakura. I sighed & we followed behind him.

Sakura & I leaned against the wired fence while Naruto was pacing in front of us.

"Where is he? Darn it! He hasn't changed at all, he still keeps us waiting!" he growled.

"Hey."

We all looked to our left & saw Kakashi sensei.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto yelled.

"Sorry, I got lost in memory lane." He said with a smile.

"Liar." Sakura & I said.

"Now then, let's go in the training grounds shall we?" he asked waving his hand to the other side of the fence.

"Alright, let's see how strong you guys have gotten, you too Gakuren." Sensei said. He rummaged through his back pocket & held put three silver bells.

I blinked & tilted my head in confusion.

"Sensei, hate to burst your bubble but, those are tiny bells not dumbbells…" I trailed off & Naruto & sakura looked at me like I was a total freak.

"What? He said he was going to test our strength." I said pointedly.

Sensei chuckled. "That's right, you weren't apart of the team yet when we started this mission. Let me explain." He said.

"You three are to get these bells away from me. Just like before, there are no rules. Just get them from me in 5 days tops. If you're not prepared to kill me-"

"We won't get the bells. We know." Sakura said & fastened her gloves.

"Humph. Well I'm pumped! What are we waiting for?!" Naruto yelled & since he's so stupid, he recklessly charged sensei & sensei caught him then turned a kunai to his head. But sensei was surprised to see another Naruto right behind him.

"Oh, so you've gotten better at this huh? But, I didn't say start yet. As always, you are impatient." Sensei sighed.

"Okay, start." He said then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Where is he now?" I asked. I looked around for him but didn't see him. Right when I was about to tell them we should spilt up, Sakura pulled her fist up then punched the ground.

My eyes widened to see she was able to make the training grounds crumble.

My mouth fell at her enormous strength. She's as strong as a griffin! I turned to Naruto & saw he was smiling nervously.

"Ha. Found you sensei." She said. Between the broken rocks, I saw sensei staring at sakura with nervous eyes.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I said with a smirk. i spread my left hand & a shining silver sword materialized in my hand.

I charged sensei & once I was close enough, I jumped up the air, sword raised & hit the rocks in front of sensei making the stones glow & they flew around sensei, encasing him in a cocoon of rocks. I jumped down the ground & smiled at sensei.

"Well, we got you sen-" I was about to brag about us winning when smoke puffed out & he turned into a log. My mouth twitched & I slowly turned to Naruto & Sakura.

"He's…a slippery fish…" I said through my teeth. They both stared at me with blank expressions & I sighed.

It was already night time & we still haven't got the bells from sensei. We caught him tons of times but he manages to get away with a substitution.

We sat under a tree, thinking of a plan.

"Sensei _has_ to have a weakness right? I mean…how will we get those bells?!" sakura yelled, frustrated. I was getting impatient too. I leaned on the tree, looking up at the moon.

"Aha! I got it!" Naruto shouted triumphantly.

He then told us about the weakness & once he was done, I just burst into laughter.

"Wahaha! You're kidding! That thing?! Hahaha! Too funny…" I sighed, wiping my happy tears.

"Yep. I can't believe it was that simple. You're a genius Naruto!" Sakura yelled happily.

In time, we were able to find sensei once more. He was hiding behind a tree & as planned, I threw a kunai at sensei & he jumped up the air dodging it.

He landed far from us but he was cornered by a tree. I then saw he was using the Sharingan & I flinched remembering Sasuke.

The three of us smirked at each other & jumped up the air.

"Hey sensei! I know what happens at the last part of your book! The truth is…" Naruto yelled happily.

Sensei's eyes widened & he covered his ears.

"NO! SHUT UP! DON'T SAY IT!" sensei yelled in pain. I just couldn't stand giggling a bit. He shut his eyes & once I got the chance, I grabbed the three bells from his belt & gave the other two to Sakura & Naruto.

We gave each other high fives & I laughed like a maniac. Sensei opened his eyes but I couldn't stop laughing. It was too funny that his weakness was right under our noses & I didn't get it at all. That naruto's amazing.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach, willing myself to stop since I couldn't breathe anymore.

"Alright, I get it." sensei said & punched my head. I turned to him while biting my lip, preventing myself from laughing at his face.

"You guys really have grown up. I'm impressed." Sensei chuckled & put his hand on my head. I smiled up at him & we all left the training grounds.

I got to the edge of the lake & from far away, I could hear my friends shouting.

"What now?" I mumbled & ran to my house.

Once I went through the door, I resisted the urge to strangle all four of them.

The main room was a mess with the table pressed to the wall, the cushions were all over the floor & the kitchen…

I don't even want to mention how bad the mess in there was.

I was about to walk to my room when a group of pencils, papers & some of my pocket books came marching out my room in a straight line, like it was normal.

I sighed deeply & stomped to my room. Once I went in, a pillow flew to my face & I heard Salem whimper. I grabbed the pillow before it fell & glared at them.

They were all holding up the pillows in mid-throw & they let go of the pillows, standing in one straight line. Behind me, something bumped my foot. I looked down to see the pencils & papers looking up at me. My mouth twitched & looked at Kai.

"Is this an inanimate object parade?" I hissed through my teeth. He chuckled nervously & the objects that were alive a second ago went back to their rightful places.

"I leave you guys alone for one night & you destroy my room?" I growled. Salem walked up to me chuckling.

"Well, we were bored. Plus, it's your own fault for leaving us in here." Salem said & put his arm around my shoulders. I looked at him with an expressionless face & he chuckled nervously.

"You're right. I'm regretting letting you guys go home by yourselves. Then next time I leave you guys here, I'll be sure to make you stay out of my house until I get back home. So, if you don't want to stay outside in the blistering heat or the cold, I advise you guys to keep your hands tied behind your backs." I growled.

Salem gulped & slowly backed away from me.

"Haha, yes sir!" he chuckled. I rolled my eyes at them & crossed my arms.

"Well, now because of this, you have to clean the entire house. And I don't want you guys slacking off until I see this house sparkle." I said with an evil smirk.

They all groaned & I saw Ryuu's mouth twitch.

"But first, who started this chaos?" I asked them while leaning on the doorway. To my surprise, they all pointed at Ryuu. I raised my brow at Ryuu & he chuckled nervously.

"They were getting on my nerves…" he trailed off. I blinked at him & snickered.

"Then you have to clean more than they would. If you don't, you stay outside. Got it?" I told him & he nodded glumly.

"Okay, I'll be at the lake. Until you finish what you started, you won't get any vanilla tea." Said & they all groaned.

"Hey, it's your fault." I smiled & left my room snickering.


	4. Planning the 'Hunting' Trip

CHAPTER 4:

It was already 8 pm & I was sitting p on the branches of the sakura tree, looking up at the moon, thinking about Sasuke & Satsugai.

"Jeez, two problems in one lifetime. This just keeps getting better & better…" I mumbled. Before I came out I changed into red sweatpants & a loose black shirt. Unlike extail, it wasn't really cold in the human world which was actually quite comfortable & relaxing.

"Hey. We're done…master." I heard Kai growl. I turned to the door & saw Kai glaring at me. I jumped down the tree & walked up to him.

"Oh, don't give me that look. It's your fault for starting this in my house." I said dismissively & we came inside the house. Once I came in, I was thoroughly impressed. The whole place was spotless, the kitchen was cleaned & all the disgusting things were gone.

Salem, Ryuu & Arata sat on the cushions watching T.v.

"Good job guys. Now, have you learned your lesson?" I asked with a smile.

"Yes, daddy." They all replied. I snorted & walked in the kitchen to make their reward.

I put the tea on the table & made some fried rice as well. Once the tray was put on the table, they gobbled up the food & in a few seconds, the table was only left with empty plates & cups.

"Ahh, that was good. We should do this more often." Salem said with glee.

"What? Clean? Yeah that's a good idea." I replied.

"Nope, I meant have pillow fights." He grinned. My mouth twitched & I decided throwing a pillow to his face will just make the house a mess again.

"Well anyway, Naruto & sakura told me that Sasuke's gone." I said & they all gasped.

"What do you mean gone? He's dead?!" Arata cried & I shook my head.

"No. I meant he left the village."

"Oh."

"To find Orochimaru…" I hissed & I heard glass break. I looked up to see Ryuu had crushed the cup in his hands & he was frozen with a shocked expression that quickly turned to anger.

"What? Find him? You do mean he's finding him to _kill_ him right?" he asked with hope. Kai hated Orochimaru ever since grandfather was killed & ever since he sent that fake moon to kill my clan. I stared at him then blinked.

"Sakura told me he was finding Orochimaru for power. That seal he gave Sasuke gives Sasuke power so, since Sasuke wants power so badly, he must've decided to find Orochimaru." I explained & put my hands under my chin.

"Why are humans so greedy? Every time they get close to power, they'll do almost anything to get a hold even though it would cost them their lives." I growled.

"What are we going to do then? Will we chase after him?" Arata asked.

"What do you mean _we_?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Well, he's your friend so no matter how dumb he is, we'll help you since we're your friends too." Salem said. I blinked at them & chuckled.

"Right…I'm thinking of finding some allies & finding him. Teaming up with Orochimaru will be something he'll regret for his entire life." I said gritting my teeth.

"Okay then. We'll have to go tomorrow. I found out there was actually one griffin around here. He's been causing trouble in every village & he's said to be really strong." Salem said.

"But we still have to be careful. I've been hearing that there have been lots of demon sightings outside the village & they've been stirring up trouble." Ryuu said.

"Okay then. We'll leave at 8 in the morning. So now, you guys should go to sleep." I said. Arata yawned & they headed to my room where we all slept.

Once they were out of sight, I headed out the garden & jumped up the Sakura tree.

I sat up on the branches & decided to sleep out here. I was really mad at Sasuke for doing what he did. I know it was his choice but why would he go & find that snake of all people? I just know Orochimaru has something planned for him.

"Hey."

I looked down at the door to see Salem looking up at me while leaning on the doorway.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"You look so troubled. Is it Sasuke or Satsugai?" he asked & jumped up the branch landing next to me.

"Both and, where's Yuki? She's not here yet but Moon said she'll be here already." I said worriedly. What if something happened to her?

"ha-ha, this is the first time I've seen you be truly worried by a girl." he chuckled & my face felt hot.

"She's Kai & I's childhood friend. Of course I'm worried. Plus, that girl always manages to get herself into trouble…a lot." I said while I shook my head.

"I think she'll turn up sooner or later." He said with an assuring tone. But I still felt uncomfortable for some reason.

"You should get to sleep now." Salem said patting my shoulder. I nodded at him & he jumped down the tree & went in the house.

I stayed there until I fell asleep. For some odd reason, the cherry blossoms manage to clam my mind & make me feel closer to home.

I woke up to see a blue bird looking right at me. I blinked & sat up then yawned.

"YO! Gaku!" someone yelled so loudly. I was so shocked by the voice; I fell down the branch, falling on my back.

"OW! Ah, really…" I mumbled, sitting up.

"Hey, Gaku!" I looked up to see Konohamaru up at the wall looking down at me with a huge grin on his face.

"What? Jeez. This early and you're already screaming…" I hissed. He snickered & jumped down the wall then started dragging me up.

"What?" I groaned, getting up & following him.

"They say someone at the gates looking for you! Hurry up!" he cried. I rubbed my eyes & we went out my house.


	5. Horrible Protective But Hurtful Words

CHAPTER 5:

We were out in the streets now & I was still half-asleep, bumping into people occasionally.

Once we reached the gates, I smiled happily. Standing with Gon & Hughes was my childhood friend, Yuki Shimizu.

She had long light blue hair & purple eyes. She was wearing black jeans & a white long sleeved blouse. I felt really touched when I saw she was wearing our friendship necklace around her neck; a clear circular rock that we found along with two more clear rocks. I remember moon telling me that those are called Sky stones & they were really hard to find. We were just lucky to come across them.

"Do you know her?" Konohamaru asked me. I chuckled for some reason & nodded.

"She's my childhood friend." I said & waved at her, hoping I don't have to walk to her anymore.

She looked really nervous & lost. I hope Hughes & Gon are being nice to her since she couldn't keep her eyes from wandering around the place.

I sighed with a smile & we walked up to them.

"Yuki!" I called, gaining her attention. Once she saw me a huge grin stretched across her face. It's been a long time since I've seen her smile like that. The reason this was our reunion was because she & her family moved to the far city called Tenjoh since her father was also an earl there & he was transferred to the city.

"Ren!" she cried happily & ran to me.

Yeah, she was the only person to call me Ren. I held out my arms & when I thought she was going to hug me, she grabbed something from my head.

"Ren, you didn't even see this little squirrel on your head! How cute!" she told the squirrel while she squeezed the life out of it.

She's always had a thing for animals for a reason & I really don't understand. My mouth twitched & I fully turned to her.

"Yeah. I missed you too..." I whimpered. It was hurtful that the first thing she noticed was a squirrel…

She turned to me then blushed. "Haha, sorry. You know how I am. Anyway, I missed you Ren!" she cried then she hugged me.

"Haha, what took you so long? I was getting worried." I said.

"Ah, I got lost. Haha." she giggled nervously. I rolled my eyes at her & waved good bye to Gon & Hughes. They both gave me a thumbs up along with a wink.

I tilted my head. What did that mean? They shook their heads & the three of us left.

While we were walking, everybody kept looking at us again but more guys kept looking at Yuki with eyes I really didn't like. They were looking at her with eyes that showed interest in doing bad things to her. I glared at the others & they looked away, shuddering.

"Hey, Ren, where's Kai by the way? Moon told me he was with you guys." She said.

"Oh, yeah. He's at my house along with Salem, Ryuu & Arata. You remember them right?" I asked her & she nodded.

"Ryuu's the really quiet one, Arata's the funny one & Salem's the one who loves to flirt." She said with a smile. I blinked at her then burst into laughter. I covered my mouth to prevent from laughing really loudly.

"What?" she asked, suddenly annoyed.

"Oh, nothing. I just remembered something." I said. This was always my excuse when someone asks me why I laugh all of a sudden.

She shrugged her shoulders & we kept walking.

"Hey Gaku."

I looked down to see Konohamaru. I've forgotten he was still with us.

"Oh, right. Yuki, this is Konohamaru my cousin." I said. She smiled down at Konohamaru & waved her hand.

"Hi, I'm Yuki, it's nice to meet you Konohamaru." She smiled. Konohamaru's face went red & he hid behind me.

"Haha, why are you so shy all of a sudden?" I asked & he hit my back with his hand. I chuckled at him & we kept walking.

"Hey Gaku, I have to go to now… See Ya!" he yelled then ran off. I blinked & shrugged my shoulders then we headed home.

We went in to see the four of them sitting on the table playing cards.

Salem chuckled then held out his cards to Arata. Arata growled then threw the cards in annoyance.

"That's it. I never want to play go fish again!" he yelled stubbornly.

Kai chuckled then sipped dome tea then saw us.

"Yuki!" he yelled happily then ran & hugged her.

"Haha, it's nice to see you guys again!" she said.

"Oh, hey Yuki!" Arata smiled. Ryuu gave her a wave of the hand then Salem gave her a smile. It seems he's given up on flirting with Yuki since it doesn't even work on her.

"Wow. This is your house Ren? It's nice!" she giggled.

"I'll make a room for you." I said & went out the garden. Once I was out, I snapped my fingers & the house extended & glowed.

"Whoa!" I heard Arata cry. That obviously means there's a new room in the house.

"Wow! Thank you Ren!" Yuki cried. I went back in & she glomped me. My face felt hot & I chuckled.

"Jeez! I really missed you guys! You know how boring it is back in Tenjoh?" she whined. After the small reunion, we started talking about what we were going to do from now on.

"So, you mean Kitsune has risen _again_?" Yuki asked & Kai nodded. Right on cue, the ring Moon gave me started to get hot. I looked down at it & saw it glow.

"Gakuren…Gakuren, you hear me?" the ring asked.

"Umm, yes ring…?" I replied, with confusion.

"It's me Moon you dummy." The ring said.

"I know that. Anyway, Yuki's already here." I said.

"Oh, good. Then, I have news. It's pretty bad. Kitsune is on the move." He said & I tensed.

"Where is she then?" I asked.

"That's the problem. We have no idea. We can just sense her aura. It's fine here in Extail anyway but be careful on your end. Is anything going on there?" he asked.

"Yeah. Ryuu told me that there have been demon appearances sprouting about & they're causing trouble. Plus, Sasuke is missing." I told him.

"What? Missing? Are you going to find him? I know he's your friend but don't forget the reason you went back to the human world." Moon reminded.

"I won't. Well, we'll contact you if anything happens." I said & the ring stopped glowing. I stood up & went into my room.

"Guys, get ready. We're leaving." I said & took a long bath.

I went out the room wearing my special clothes. I wore loose black pants, a black sleeveless & a long black cape covered with words of protection. I put on black combat boots & saw my friends were wearing the same things even Yuki but she had that light blue scarf around her neck.

"You guys ready?" I asked & they nodded with smirks on their faces. I smirked back & we headed out.

"Alright. Time to find our new allies." I said & a long katana materialized in my hand. I strapped it behind my back & we jumped up the trees, heading to the gates.

We were already out of the leaf village's territory & we were walking through the bushes, I heard the sound of someone being punched.

"On the other hand, you don't have to forgive me." I realized it was Sakura's voice so I came out the bushes to see Sakura, Naruto & two unfamiliar people; one was what looked like a jounin ninja while the other had black hair & all black clothes. He was lying on the ground with a smile on his face.

"You know nothing about Sasuke so bad mouth him again & I won't be able to hold back." she hissed.

"What's going on here?" I asked. They all turned to me & Sakura's expression lightened.

"Gakuren." She said & I heard my friends approach from behind.

"Griffins?" the jounin asked.

"Excuse me, who are you?" I asked the two strangers.

"I'm Yamato, your new team leader. I'm going to be replacing Kakashi." He said. I raised my brows with disbelief while I approached them.

"This is Sai. Your new member." He said & waved to the guy sitting on the ground, looking at me with a blank face.

He had a pale complexion & he looked like he held no real emotion whatsoever. Suddenly, he smiled at me.

"It's nice to meet you. So you're the son of that _weakling_ griffin." He said nonchalantly & I just snapped & punched him in the face. He fell back down the ground & I grit my teeth then glared at him.

"Call my father weak one more time…_human_." I growled.

I never once used that word on any human but this one did not gain any respect from me.

He smiled at me once more which made me really mad now.

"I'm sorry." He said but I just felt like he was mocking me.

I growled & stomped to him when someone held me back. I stopped & my eyes grew wide when I saw Salem, Ryuu, Arata, Kai & Yuki each of them holding me back with two hands.

"Calm down." Yuki said. I turned to that disrespectful kid & glowered at him. My muscles relaxed & I took a deep breath with my eyes shut.

I opened my eyes & gave the kid one last glare then turned away, resisting the urge to beat him down.

"Keep that kid away from me for now. I just might end up doing something_ really_ bad." I growled.

"Ren…" yuki said worriedly.

What nerve he has to call my father a weakling. What did father ever do to him?! It was just so…Gah.

"Hey! Hey! You're teammates, stop acting like this in front of your captain or I'll cage all of you together!" mister Yamato said.

"Where you going anyway?" I asked him.

"On a mission. You have to come with us." He said.

"Sorry, I have my own business right now." I replied.

"Huh? What do you mean? We're a team!" Naruto yelled.

"Naruto, right now, we griffins have a very big problem & there's only one reason I came back here." I said & explained everything.

"Kitsune? She's…going to destroy the human world?" Sakura asked.

"If we don't stop her, she'll destroy_ both_ our worlds. As our clan's enemy, I want to make sure she will never come back to either worlds." I said with an expressionless face.

"Anyway, I'm sorry but you guys have to go without me." I said & turned away from them.

"We wanna come too! Bring us along next time!" Naruto yelled & my eyes widened.

"NO!" I shouted, making them flinch. I blinked & grit my teeth.

"You can't come with us. You have nothing to do with us griffins & those demons. So… stay out of it." I said with a cold expression.

They have to realize, I can't be with them anymore. I realized that just now. Since I'm now in a situation where they could get hurt, I have to drive them away. I know it sounds ridiculous but these guys are the types to not listen to anything I say.

They stared at me with horror struck eyes & it stung me.

"What… do you mean?" Sakura asked. I looked down at the ground.

"To be clear, _keep out of this_." I simply said not wanting to hurt them further. I caught a glance of Kai & saw he knew what I was doing & gave me a worried look.

"What are you talking about?! We're a team & we do everything together! You can't just…" Naruto trailed off & I stared at him.

"Sorry guys. But please, _stay out of this_." I said once more & gave Ryuu a look that meant I wanted to leave _right now_. He gave me a small nod & the others understood.

We then jumped up the air & jumped through the thick forest of trees heading to where Salem said there was a troublesome griffin around.

"GAKUREN!" I heard Naruto yell from the distance & I flinched at the sound of his hurt voice. My heart stopped & I fought the urge to just shout. And to be honest, one thought crossed my mind.

It must've been better if I never even met them… if I never met them, I wouldn't have to say those cruel words.


	6. Nature's Wonderful Surprises

CHAPTER 6:

We were all walking down the dirt path & it's been an hour since I said those horrible words. It keeps resonating in my mind & it makes my head ache.

I took a shaky breath & kept my eyes on the ground.

"_Focus. You have to _focus." I thought. Even though it was harsh, I had to do it.

We were following Salem since he knew where that strong griffin was. The others were talking really loudly but I kept silent & kept my ears open for danger.

"Hey, Ren."

I looked up to see Yuki looking at me with a worried expression. I blinked at her & she blinked.

"You okay?" she asked & walked next to me then put her hand on my shoulder while we walked which was a little hard for her since I was taller now.

"Yeah. I'm just listening for danger." I said with a small smile. She stared at me then looked away. I blinked at her, wondering what she was thinking.

I was about to ask Salem how farther we have to walk when I heard a loud BOOM! The ground shook & I looked around.

"What was that?" I asked, alarmed.

"I think we found that griffin." Salem snickered & the four of them ran ahead of Yuki & me.

Right ahead, I saw a huge red & black temple. Yuki & I exchanged glances & sped off to the temple.

Once we got there, my spine tingled as I heard this bloodcurdling scream. I saw a little girl with a gigantic serpent looming over her.

She screamed once more & in a second, I was between the child & the serpent. My eyes widened as I saw its horrible face. It had long saber teeth & it had a fiery mane around its neck but the thing that shook me was seeing blood dripping from its long fangs.

I pulled back my arm & punched the serpent in the face, making it fly to the wall & destroy the wall. I turned to the crying girl & saw she had long brown hair that was held in pigtails. She was weeping on her brown teddy bear.

She looked up at me with those huge, terrified eyes & I knit my brows to see she had one green eye & one blue eye. I blinked lots of times & I flew through back through the air.

"GAKUREN!" Kai yelled in alarm. I hit the wall & looked up to see the serpent glaring at me. I glared back at it & lunged me. I stared at it & once it got close, I instinctively tapped its nose & it entire body glowed then it turned to dust.

Everyone was silent & I stood up dusting myself. I froze when I felt another griffin presence.

"There are other griffins here." I said, my eyes wandering to the temple.

"Yeah. Us." Arata said jokingly. I rolled my eyes & approached the temple. I looked up at the roof to see it was wrecked, like an elephant was thrown up the air. I climbed up the three wide flights of stairs & cautiously walked through the open wooden gates.

I sniffed the air & regretted it. The air smelled of foul blood & I looked at the walls to see glittering griffin blood.

I forgot to mention that griffin blood sparkles like there are jewels inside. I walked through the river of blood at the darkest corner, I saw a boy about my age, lying on the floor. I rushed to him & checked his pulse.

Yeah, he's still alive. I took his arm & carried him out on my back.

"Hey! He's wounded!" I shouted to my friends who were circled around the little girl. They turned to me & gasped. The girl peeked from behind Yuki & her eyes widened as she saw the boy.

"Big brother!" she cried & ran to him. She tried to pull him down so I kneeled down & he fell to the ground.

I saw he had the same brown hair as the girl & he had a huge scar on his chest.

I opened his shirt & saw the huge wound. I put my hand on his chest & he flinched & groaned.

After a while, he wound was gone & Ryuu just covered his smaller wounds with ointments & bandaged his chest.

"Your brother will be fine." Salem told the girl with a gentle smile.

"Little girl, can you tell us what happened?" I asked her gently.

"I already asked her." Yuki smiled & the girl hid behind her. I blinked & stood up.

"She said they were being tracked down for two days now by demons & other griffins. They hid here but it was useless." Yuki explained & petted the girls head.

"It must be that female fox." Ryuu said.

"But what would they want with them?" Arata asked with a puzzled tone & I nodded in agreement.

"Hey, let's go somewhere safe. We have to let them rest." I said & Kai took the boy on his back as we all walked out the temple to find a safe resting place.

Thunder crackled & I was getting annoyed by the girl who kept jumping up & down my shoulders whose name by the way was Yui.

"Um, Yui, can you please-"

"WEEE!" she cried & jumped really high up, almost falling head first to the ground but lucky for her, I caught her in time. She giggled & the edge of my mouth twitched. I hung my head with a sigh.

"I'm really not accustomed to kids her age…" I mumbled making my friends chuckle.

Walking down the road, I looked up at the dark clouds & while I was distracted by the moving clouds, my right foot fell through a deep hole.

"WAH!" I shouted & Yui giggled at me while she sat on the ground. I narrowed my eyes at the hole, pulled out then put Yui on my back. My friends snickered at me, resisting the urge to laugh at my face.

Kai on the other hand, laughed like there was no tomorrow.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed maniacally. I glared at him but he didn't shut up.

"Hey, I get it…" I hissed but he kept laughing, almost letting the boy on his back fall. His name was Yujin by the way.

"Whoa…you-you still live up to your name of-of, _clumsy cat_! WAHAHAHA!" he cried & after that comment everyone burst into laughter even I managed a chuckle.

I sighed & looked around looking for a place to rest, ignoring their teases.

"Ah, Ren, a tree!" yuki cried & I snorted.

"Yeah, you won't get me _that_ easily." I chuckled looking back at her &once I looked ahead, my nose hit the hard tree trunk. My mouth fell & I crouched down, shaking & holding my nose.

"Darn it." I hissed & rubbed my sore nose. I got up to see everyone on the ground, laughing their butts off.

"Mr. Gaku, they're laughing at you." Yui giggled & my mouth twitched.

"So it seems." I hissed.

"Oh God! What's wrong with you today Gakuren?! Haaaa, you keep bumping into things! It's-it's so weirdly funny!" Arata laughed rolling on the ground.

"This_ can't_ get any worse can it?" I mumbled & started walking again.

I was wrong. It can get much worse.

Looking for a decent place to rest, I managed to almost fall down a cliff, got chased around by a deer, almost get flattened by a huge boulder & step on gross things. (And I'm sure you can guess what those disgusting things are…)

After a while, we finally found a cave & went inside. Well, it was small but it was enough. As long as it's dry, I like it. I put Yui down & slammed on the rock wall.

I felt so worn out & I smelled horrible.

"Hey, Gaku, can you please go to the river & wash off? You stink of…Nature." Kai teased while covering his nose. My mouth twitched & I glared daggers at him.

"Where's the river?" I growled & Ryuu pointed out to the flowing river right next to the cave.

I walked out & the rained poured down on me. I stopped in my tracks & gripped my hair then shouted with all my strength.

"ARGH! WHAT IS GOING ON?! DARN IT!" I yelled, stomping the ground. I marched to the river & took off my boots that had stepped in nature's gifts. I soaked in the river with my head out of the water, showing only my gloomy & angry eyes. Once it got a little darker, I got out the water & snapped my fingers.

I was now wearing loose comfortable black pants with a white sleeveless shirt & my purple sporty jacket. I changed my black boots & replaced them with comfortable black shoes. I marched back to the cave with my hair dripping wet & once I got in, I shook my hair dry just to get back at my friends who laughed at me all day.

"HEY! Ah, really!" Salem cried & I smiled innocently at them.

"Oops. Haha." I snickered & snapped my fingers making me instantly dry & comfy.

I sighed & sat down next to Yuki.

"Tired?" she giggled & nodded glumly. I turned to the other side of the cave to see the both of them sleeping & with Yui snuggled up to Yujin.

I looked away & saw Ryuu had made a small stone circle for the fire.

"Salem?" Ryuu asked waving his hand to Salem. Salem waved his hand & fir burst from the circle. He stretched his arms with a yawn.

"Ah, I'm beat thanks to that laughter show Gakuren put up." Salem snickered. I glared at him & he chuckled.

Suddenly, under each of us, sleeping bags appeared.

"Get some sleep guys. We have to leave early tomorrow." Ryuu said, putting his legs into the bag.

"What about them? Are they even human?" I asked them & Arata shrugged his shoulders.

"We'll ask them tomorrow. Right now, we have to rest." Kai said & they all snuggled in the sleeping bags while I still sat, looking out at the pouring rain.

I waved my hand & I saw a clear barrier close the cave's entrance. I then started wondering about Naruto & Sakura. I wonder how things are going with them. I sighed & took off my shoes then snuggled into the bag.

"Gakuren?"

I turned my head to see Yuki looking at me with worried eyes.

"I don't think we should leave them alone. Those two I mean." she said & I blinked.

"Yeah. You're right. I won't let them leave all wounded like that. Besides, I have questions for them too." I said & snuggled deeper into the warm bag then closed my eyes.

"Gaku?" yuki asked. Once I opened my eyes, I saw yuki inches from my face. I froze & my face felt hot.

I jumped when she suddenly breathed a quick breeze, making the end of my nose freeze. I blinked then sneezed into my sleeping bag. Yuki giggled at me & I messed up her hair.

"Jeez, what was that for snow fairy?" I hissed & she giggled.

"You seemed stressed & worried. I just wanted you to stop thinking about such stressful things." She smiled. I blinked & smiled kindly at her.

"Thanks Yuki." I smiled & she froze then she quickly turned her back to me.

"Umm…ah, good night Gakuren. Relax a bit okay?" she said with her back turned to me. I blinked at her & raised my brow in confusion.

"Such a weird girl…" I thought.


	7. I Simply HATE Hospitals

CHAPTER 7:

I woke up to the smell of roasting meat and it smelled good. I stretched my arms then yawned.

I sat up to see Ryuu cooking meat in the fire. He looked up at me then handed me one of the cooked barbecues.

"Eat before the wolves wake up." he smirked. I chuckled at him and started eating.

I glanced at the other side of the cave to see Yui and were Yujin still sleeping, snuggled up next to each other. Once I was done with my food, I got up walked to the river. It wasn't raining anymore so I was a little gloomy. I washed my face and fixed my messy bed head.

Once I held up my head, I saw smoke rising from the forest and my nose could smell wood burning.

I blinked and looked through the woods to see small creatures-demons I suppose lighting the forest trees with a torch.

My eyes widened as the forest animals poured out the forest, running past me. I ran back to the cave, avoiding getting hit by the panicked animals.

"GUYS!" I yelled and got to the mouth of the cave. They were all up even Yujin and Yui and they were all eating leisurely.

"We have to go, some demons have started a forest fire." I said and they all quickly stood up Kai carried Yujin on his back while Salem carried Yui.

Once we were out, I gasped to see how far the fire has spread in such a short time. The fire circled us, as if it was done strategically, I frantically looked for a way out. I looked up and seeing the clear sky made me calmer.

"Guys, jump." I said we all jumped up the air. I waved my hand and we were now standing on an air bird. I looked down at the ground to see little demons growling at us with their fists in the air.

"Kitsune?" Arata asked and he hasn't noticed his hair was a bird's nest.

"There's a big chance." I replied. We glided through the air and let the others rest while Arata and I extinguished the fire with water. Once that was done, I turned to Yui & Yujin. I have some questions to ask them.

"You're griffins?" Kai asked. Yujin nodded while Yui played with her bear.

"Yes. There's a secret place in this world where many griffins reside but just a week ago, a demon attacked our village and killed everyone. Luckily, the demon couldn't find us but until now, they're still searching for us. It was unbelievable that a demon killed so many griffins." Yujin sighed.

"Village?" I mumbled. I sighed and my heart suddenly felt uneasy. Suddenly, my head throbbed.

"Gah!" I cried and I gripped the sides of my head. I felt the air bird under us flicker and I struggled to maintain my power.

"Whoa!" Arata cried. My head throbbed again and I saw Orochimaru's mocking smile. My head throbbed once more like someone stabbed my brain and I lost control then we fell through the air.

"GAKUREN!" Salem shouted while I helplessly fell through the air. I felt so useless, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't summon my powers. When I thought I would turn into a griffin pancake, my back slammed against something soft and breezy. I then lost consciousness.

I opened my eyes to see my friends looking at me with worried eyes.

"He's waking up!" Arata said but his voice wasn't clear, like I was hearing him from under water. I blinked and slowly sat up.

"Sorry, I lost control of my powers." I said with a weak voice and they chuckled.

"Jeez, worry about yourself. You almost gave us heart attacks." Salem said with a smile and patted my head.

I sat up and saw we were at some kind of desert. It was all brown and giant rocks. What a comforting sight to see once you wake up from falling through the sky.

"Where in the world are we?" I asked.

"Dunno. I just brought us to the closest spot." Ryuu said. I blinked and got up my feet. I sniffed the air for any scent of danger but instead I smelled something familiar.

"Naruto?" I mumbled and followed the scent to a huge gaping hole. It looked like the roof collapsed on it and I saw Sakura, Sai, Yamato sensei, Naruto and…Sasuke.

I blinked lots of times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Maybe I did fall on my head.

Sasuke had his hand on Naruto's shoulder and I tensed when he suddenly pulled out a katana. He pulled back his arm but Naruto stayed still.

Before he could get killed, I jumped down, landing behind Sasuke and when I was about to pull Sasuke away, he quickly whirled and punched me in the stomach. I gasped when I flew through the air and hit the hard wall. Small pieces of rock fell on top of my head. I looked up at Sasuke with shocked eyes.

Anger grew in me when I saw Sasuke was wearing purple robes. It reminded me of that snake-Orochimaru.

That's when it hit me.

"You're following Orochimaru now? What's wrong with you?" I hissed at him, standing up with my fist clenched.

"What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine." He simply said.

"Fine?! You're following that SNAKE! The monster that killed my grandfather and almost destroyed the leaf village!" I roared.

"Didn't I tell you not to make rash decisions?" I hissed and to knock some sense into him, I decided to give him a punch.

But, I didn't even notice he'd stabbed me until I coughed out blood.

"NO! GAKUREN!" Sakura yelled. I winced at the amazing pain and coughed out blood again.

"Why? How could you? We're a team aren't we?" I asked weakly. He simply stared at me.

"Why are you trying to kill Naruto…? I'm sure you won't admit it but, he's your best friend isn't he?... why would you sever those bonds?" I asked him.

"Having friends is a burden. The only thing I live for is revenge. Now…" he trailed off then he raised his sword.

"Let's see you dodge this." He said with an expressionless face.

"That's enough, Sasuke."

My eyes widened to hear that snaky voice. I looked up to see Orochimaru looking down at us with an irritating smile.

Anger rose in me and I angrily whipped my hand to that snake. A jet of water with pressure that can break through even the strongest rock flew to Orochimaru. But, I missed by a mere inch.

I growled deeply and struggled to get up.

No way am I letting him escape now. He framed my brother, kidnapped him, killed my grandfather and threatened my village.

I gripped the sword's blade and snapped it into half.

Right when I was about to get up, I saw a bright light like lightning bolts appearing in the night. I thought I was only going mad until I felt the amazing pain on my chest.

"AAAAHHHH!" I cried in pain. I opened my eyes to see Sasuke holding some kind of ball that emanated lightning bolts and gave off the sound of a thousand birds chirping all at the same time.

"GAKUREN!" Naruto yelled and charged Sasuke while I sat there, paralyzed. I struggled to get up once more and finally, I was able to get back up my feet.

I couldn't think of anything else but to kill Orochimaru right now. With effort, I jumped up the ledge, ignoring the pain in my body.

I landed in front of Orochimaru and I gasped to see who was next to him.

"Kabuto?" I asked with a shaky voice.

He looked at me from behind his glasses and chuckled.

"Well, if it isn't little Gakuren." He snickered and I growled.

"Tch." I growled and charged Orochimaru. I whipped my hand, sending a fire ball to him but he dodged.

"DAMN IT!" I hissed angrily and summoned a katana instead. When I thought I was finally going to be able to kill him, someone stabbed me from behind. I shouted in pain. I knew this was my limit.

I haven't trained for such a long time and using my powers all of a sudden and not stopping has bought my body to the limit. I groaned and turned to see kabuto holding the kunai.

"I applied poison in this kunai. Even though you're a griffin, you still haven't mastered fully protecting yourself." He smiled evilly at me and I growled.

I whirled and punched him in the face. He flew through the air and from behind, someone touched the back of my head. Suddenly, I felt sleepy and my ears rang.

"See you again, boy." Orochimaru purred.

"GAKUREN!" I heard Kai yell but it was muffled by the ringing in my ears.

"Orochi…maru…" I muttered weakly and I drifted into unconsciousness.

I woke up to see I was in a well lit room and it smelled of medicine. An annoying beeping sound filled my ears and I knew I was in the hospital.

My hand wandered the smooth blanket and I winced at the pain in my stomach once I sat up too quickly. I looked around and sighed with my face in my palm.

"A griffin in a hospital bed…how embarrassing." I muttered and slowly lay back down. I stared at the white ceiling, listening to the beeping. I took a deep breath and sighed. Suddenly, I remembered my friends.

I struggled to get up just to go out and see if they're there. I got up wobbly and saw I was still my jacket but I didn't have my sleeveless anymore. It was now replaced by a bandage that wrapped my whole torso. I walked to the door, wincing every time I lifted my foot.

I got to the door and pulled it open. I gripped the doorway and limped out to see Ryuu, Kai, Naruto and Sakura there.

I panted and gripped the doorway. I was still too weak. Ryuu saw me & rushed to my side.

"Gakuren! What are you doing?! Get back in there!" Kai yelled and put my arm around his shoulders, supporting me.

"Where are the others? Are they okay?" I asked.

"Yeah they're fine. Yuki, Salem and Arata just went to get some food." Ryuu assured & I sighed with relief.

"Gakuren, can you worry about yourself for once?" Sakura said worriedly.

"Sasuke…did you get him?" I asked through my teeth. Naruto turned his back to me and Sakura flinched. I knew what that meant.

"You didn't? Well, I never expected it to be that easy." I said and winced when I felt the pain in my stomach.

"Ah! You're bleeding again! Ryuu, call the doctor!" Kai said in alarm. Ryuu rushed somewhere and Kai pulled me back in the room.

"You should've just called us idiot! Now you're bleeding again!" Kai yelled at me while putting me on the bed.

"Why are you yelling at me?!" I growled and he slapped his hand across my face. I froze from shock and turned to him. My mouth twitched.

"Why are you hitting a patient? Jerk…" I hissed with my hand to my cheek.

The edge of Kai's mouth twitched as well. He looked down at the floor and clenched his fist.

"YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT GAKU!" he suddenly yelled. I blinked at him and Naruto and Sakura came in.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ALWAYS SAYS NEVER TO ACT RECKLESSLY BUT YOU ATTACKED OROCHIMARU WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT! WHAT WOULD'VE HAPPENED IF WE HADN'T COME ALONG?! YOU COULD'VE DIED!" he roared. I blinked at him once more and looked down at the floor.

He's right.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think…I just…got so mad I just wanted to…" I trailed off & tears started flowing down my cheeks.

"I didn't know what got into me…I just felt so mad and I felt if I didn't release that anger…I might turn…" I sobbed. I was crying because it was just all so ridiculous and that I shouldn't have let my emotions cloud my judgment.

I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Kai looking down at me with a gentle expression. He didn't say anything to me but I put my face in my hands. After a while the emotions in me stopped and I was able to get a hold of myself again.

"What does turn mean?" Sakura asked while the nurse bandaged me up again. Kai sat on the bed next to me while Ryuu stood at my side.

"That's when a griffin turns into his true form. A giant wolf with two long tails but for Gaku, he has nine tails. Basically, it's bad." Ryuu explained.

"Why?" Naruto asked and I flinched.

"If young griffins like us who are below eighteen try to turn, the consequences are bad." Kai said and I grit my teeth.

"How bad exactly?" Sakura asked.

"The worst case is…we could die." I said looking up at Sakura and she flinched.

"Die…?" she asked and I nodded glumly.

"The transformation is relatively second nature to the older & stronger adults but to us, it's like you've swallowed a bomb. The only time we can actually turn is when we become eighteen. But if we try it when we're too young, sometimes we won't be able to use our powers anymore, go into a very long coma, go crazy & the worse, die." Ryuu said.

"That's why we were taught to control our feelings in our school back in Extail." Kai added.

"And, it's very bad if Gakuren tries it." Ryuu said and I flinched.

"Why? Why only Gakuren?" Sakura asked.

"Gakuren has nine tails just like everyone in his clan. A griffin with nine tails is extremely rare that's why the Akiyama clan is the most powerful in Extail. But when a young griffin with nine tails tries to turn before he's eighteen, he'll surely die." Kai explained and I stared at the floor with blank eyes.

"For us, it's undecided if we'll die or just go into a coma but for young griffins in their clan to try and turn, it's already sure that they'll fail." Ryuu started.

"Normal griffins can be virtually indestructible and powerful but, ones like Gaku hold power far greater than a _billion_ normal griffins _combined_. If he tries to summon all that power, it'll be too much for his body and he'll instantly lose his life especially since he's in the stage of gaining true power." Ryuu said.

The nurse finished bandaging me up.

"Please, don't try to move too much grandson of the third." She said and I nodded.

"Thank you." Kai said. She gave him a gentle smile and left the room.

"What do you mean true power?" Naruto asked.

"We mean that the strength Gaku's showing for the past years isn't even half of his true power." Kai proudly said and Sakura's eyes widened.

Yeah, I forgot about that part. These days, are actually the worst days for me to fight. In our family, when the time comes when we're developing our powers, we are at our most vulnerable.

I sighed and lay back down the bed.

"We'll leave tomorrow." I said, trying to change the subject.

"No. you have to take a break. We can leave the next day." Ryuu said. I opened my mouth to talk but Kai instantly punched my face.

"Kai!" Ryuu yelled in alarm. I turned to him with an open mouth and an expression full of disbelief.

He hit me AGAIN!

"Will you just sleep? Whatever you say, we won't let you go anywhere until you've recovered. So unless you don't want us to tie you up, go to sleep." Kai said with an expressionless face. I rolled my eyes and growled then shut my eyes.


	8. MY Demon Filled House

CHAPTER 8:

After what seemed like a really long while, I gave up trying to sleep and instead stared up at the ceiling. Kai and the others weren't here anymore & I was all alone. It was pretty boring. I sighed and tapped my stomach with my finger.

Then, since neither of my noisy friends were around, I found myself tracing ice on the air. Writing words like 'boring', 'can't sleep' and so on. I was absorbed in that until someone came in through the door. I turned my head and saw my friends come in with a tray that hopefully had food on it.

I tried to sit up but a shadow enveloped me, tying me to the bed.

"Hey! I'm not doing anything!" I yelled and Salem rolled his eyes. He walked up to me and adjusted the bed so I can sit up with something supporting my back.

"Oh." I mumbled, making Salem snort. Ryuu put the tray on the small table that was fixed on the side of the bed.

I take back what I said about eating. I guess I just didn't find a bowl of corn soup that appetizing so I didn't have the stomach to eat. Or maybe it's cause' there's an actual hole in my stomach…

I stared at the soup, debating to myself whether or not I should jut gulp it down or reject it.

"What are you waiting for? Eat." Ryuu urged and I sighed then took the spoon.

"Do I have to?" I asked & Salem glared at me with that scary glare. I shivered and immediately pushed the spoon into my mouth and found it wasn't that bad.

Jeez, and I thought I was the only scary one.

Once I was done, Yui came running in through the door with Yuki being dragged behind her.

"Gakuren! You're okay!" Yui yelled happily, letting go of Yuki's hand then made the mistake of jumping on my stomach.

"GAH!" I yelled in pain. She gasped and looked down at my stomach then immediately jumped off. Right now, I really don't feel like a patient.

After being punched, slapped and jumped on my stomach by a little girl, I feel like I was being tortured rather than being healed.

"Oops." She said. I laughed weakly.

"It's…okay." I said through my teeth with a tight smile. Kai slapped his forehead and sighed.

"Yui, don't do that."

We turned to the door to see Yujin leaning on the doorway with an expressionless face and his arms crossed in front of his chest. It seemed he's changed into less wrecked clothes so he was wearing a black collared shirt, loose pants, leather boots and had a black wristband.

"Big bro! Gakuren's hurt!" Yui whimpered and I chuckled, putting my hand on her head.

"I'm perfectly fine. It's just a scratch." I said with a smile and she smiled back at me.

Yujin exhaled deeply and walked to us.

"Your friends have told me about you and what you've come here for…I…want to join you." he suddenly said, kneeling down in front of my bed with his fit on the left side of his chest.

"Wah! You don't have to kneel you know." I laughed sheepishly. He looked up at me with a serious expression.

"It's fine for me. We owe you great thanks. I don't know much about this fox demon, but I'll lend you my strength." He said. I blinked at him then nodded with my leader smirk.

"Welcome to the team then." I said and he stood up.

"Thank you." he said then suddenly, Yuki stomped up to us, walking past Yujin and straight up to me. I shivered since I was feeling a cold wind coming from her. She looked down at me with a look that she was either angry or going to cry.

When I thought I was going to be slapped again, she suddenly hugged me.

I blinked and my face felt hot for some reason which was really weird since someone with ice powers was hugging me.

"You're such an idiot Ren! Do that again and I'll freeze you, I swear it!" she said angrily. I blinked and sighed.

"Sorry. I won't do it again." I said then she pulled away looking at me with teary eyes.

"You dummy." She mumbled making me chuckle.

"Hey."

I turned to see Kai and the others were staring at us with blank expressions.

"Don't forget _we're_ still here. Stop being all lovey-dovey." Arata suddenly said. My eyes widened and my face felt hot again. I looked away from them then sighed.

"Stop saying nonsense will you? Anyway, I feel a little better so we can leave tomorrow." I said, my face still hot.

"Oh, no you don't!" I heard Naruto say. We turned to the door and saw Naruto and Sakura looking at me with serious eyes. He then stomped to me and grabbed my shoulders.

"You are not going to leave until the day after tomorrow got it?! Everybody's dying to see you! You better see them tomorrow since they're all worried sick about you!" he roared while he shook me back and forth. My mouth twitched & I pushed him away.

"Okay, alright. But if you keep shaking me like that, I don't think I'll be able to leave the hospital so early." I sighed and we all started talking about unimportant stuff.

I guess it's impossible for me to cut my relationship with my human team. That Naruto has some weird ability that makes me want to be his friend for as long as I can.

Once I felt much better and my wound has healed completely, the hospital let me go and we headed to my house but oddly, I had a huge scar on my chest that just won't disappear like the stab wounds.

While all of us walked through the streets, I wondered about what technique Sasuke used to attack me. The technique that was so painful and it gave off the sound of a thousand birds chirping all together.

"Hey, Naruto." I called and Naruto skipped to my side.

"Yeah?"

"What was that move Sasuke used on me? The scar just won't disappear like the others." I said, rubbing the scar on my chest. For a while, Naruto was silent.

"That was called the Chidori." He said looking ahead with a serious expression. He then explained the details to me.

"Chidori huh? So, Kakashi taught him that." I said and Naruto nodded.

"Hey, Gakuren, you don't have to help us find Sasuke anymore." He suddenly said making me stop in my tracks.

"What do you mean?" I asked and he turned to me with a gentle smile then put his hand on my shoulder.

"Kai told me everything and what you meant by us staying out of your situation. I'm sorry I got mad…I just thought you would leave us like…" he trailed off. He didn't need to continue his sentence. I smiled a bit and sighed.

"I won't do that. And If I did, it would be for a good reason." I said, looking ahead.

"Besides, when I think of it now, I just get helplessly swept away with you." I said absentmindedly.

"Huh?" Naruto asked. I sighed.

"I meant it's hard to get myself away from you." I said with a straight face. He stared at me then suddenly blushed.

"Umm, Gakuren, I'm sorry but, I only like girls. You know, ones like Sakura." He grinned stupidly. My mouth twitched and I think my soul just flew out my mouth.

"I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT YOU NITWIT!" I roared. He blinked, shuddering.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. That's the last time I'll be saying touching things to you." I mumbled angrily.

"Wha…" he muttered while standing up.

We got home and I took in the scent of fresh air, making the smell of hospital out my nose.

"I'll be in my room." I said, wobbling to my room.

"Wait! We have a surprise for you!" Arata called from the garden.

"WAAA!" I heard Naruto yell. I quickly walked to the garden and my mouth fell to see so many demons surrounding my house.

(What do you call them? A herd? Pride, clan? Well, whatever.)

"What in the world?" I muttered while slowly walking out the garden with an open mouth.

"This is your new clan of demons and griffins." Arata smiled while putting his arm over my shoulders. I could only stare at the variety of demons and griffins.

Big demons, small demons, there was even one that had the body of a giant centipede but had the head of a dragon or was it a lion? (The one humans use in celebrations where they dance around with large, brightly colored lion heads and so on.

"Wow, amazing how time flies. It was just like yesterday you were playing pranks on everyone and now, you even have your own Clan of Demons & Griffins. Long name huh?" Kai said sniffling.

All the demons turned to me and they all started murmuring and that murmuring turned into shouts and praises.

"Master! Master! It's our master!" they all yelled. It was so loud, the ground shook.

"Master, would you like some tea?"

I looked down to see small demons at my feet, tugging at my pants and they had some vanilla tea in their hands.

"Oh, um, thanks." I said with a tight smile while I took one of the cups.

They all giggled happily and ran off to the other side of the garden where I saw more small demons sitting around the pond.

"Wow. This is the first time they've seen you yet they already see you as their Commander." Salem said.

"Gakuren."

I looked to the left and saw a man with short white hair and he had amber eyes and pale white skin. He wore a white nemaki and his presence made me feel very intimidated. He had a whole group of demons behind him, giving off a scary and dangerous feeling.

"It's nice to finally meet Moon akiyama's brother. I'm honored to meet you Gakuren." He said, bowing to me.

He had a voice that was so gentle like he was totally harmless but I could feel that intimidating aura emanating from him. I bowed back and straightened myself.

"Sorry, but who are you?" I asked cautiously. He looked up and rubbed his head.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I haven't introduced myself." he chuckled. He smirked at me and cocked his head to the side.

"My name is Crane Igarashi. And I'm the leader of the Yakuza in this human world." he said with a confident and proud smirk.

"Yakuza?" I muttered and my eyes widened.

"Crane igarashi? So you're him. But you're a demon right?" I asked.

"Yes. Haven't you heard of the demon _ninkyo dantai_ in this world?" he asked while puffing smoke from his pipe. I blinked at him.

"Sorry. Never heard of it." I apologized and he twitched. I felt a little guilty since he looked like I stabbed him right in the heart. He sighed loudly and lost his smile.

"Okay, let me explain. In this world of ninjas there are also Ninkyo dantai here or simply put-chivalrous organizations. And I-Crane Igarashi am the leader of these Yakuza." He said while sitting on the patio, cross-legged.

"Well, your friends explained to me the situation and I'll be happy to help but..." he trailed off looking at me with a smirk and one eye open.

"I won't follow you just like that. I want you to show me your true power first. If you aren't stronger than me, then forget about having me help you. But if you _are_ stronger than me, then I will exchange cups of loyalty with you." he said with a smirk. Suddenly, I felt so weak compared to him. But no way am I losing to a demon.

I looked down at the ground and I felt my personality change again. Once I looked up, my friends flinched.

"Yaa! It's Fast kill king…" Arata shudder. I have no idea why, but he was always bothered by my…other self.

I smirked and looked straight at Crane.

"Bring it on." I chuckled.


	9. Cups Of Loyalty

CHAPTER 9:

"All right. Now that we got that settled, I'll be taking my leave." Crane said, getting up and walking back to his demon gang.

"Wait, we're not fighting _today_?" I asked, disappointed. He turned to me with a smirk.

"Nah. Seeing as you're still recovering from your injuries, we'll fight once you're all better…I don't fight injured people." he smiled. Suddenly, go filled my garden until I couldn't see Crane or anyone anymore.

"I'll be looking forward to our duel, Gakuren. I wonder if you're any better than your idiotic brother." He chuckled.

"What has that Moon been doing around here to get a name like Idiotic around here?" I muttered, embarrassed.

I suddenly got a little annoyed to hear the uproar of noise around my house. I turned to all the demons around my house who were all acting like little kids-noisy.

I stood up straight and took a deep breath. I felt my body get hotter and my vision got sharper.

"HEY!" I shouted loudly, gaining everyone's attention. Everyone looked at me with a puzzled and surprised look.

"Okay, listen up. First… you all agree to me being your commander?" I asked.

"YEAH!" all the demons and griffins cheered. I blinked with surprise and hid my smile by looking down.

"Alright then. Since you all agree to me as your commander, I have rules." I said, scanning the mob of demons to see if anyone objects to me.

"One, I will absolutely not tolerate the hurting of humans." I said and other demons started questioning the others.

"Those who disobey this rule will be severely punished by me." I said darkly and I saw them shudder.

"Two… I want all of you to never lose a battle and that we will defeat Satsugai together." I said and they all cheered and whooped.

"UNDERSTAND?!" I shouted.

"YES SIR!" they replied. I smiled at them and turned to the house. This house is way too small.

I raised my hand and snapped my fingers. The house suddenly, glowed and hummed. The house got wider until the entire meadow and some of the forest was now covered by my house. The garden got bigger and now, we had a traditional Japanese mansion.

"Whoa!" Arata gasped. I turned to everyone with a smirk.

"Now, welcome to your new home. Try not to destroy it." I smiled.

"WHOO!" the small demons yelled and they ran into the house. The large wooden doors pulled open, revealing a mob of beautiful people-Griffins.

Some had weapons, some even had giant animals with them. They came in with smiles in their faces and greeted me so I greeted them back with a genuinely happy smile.

I jumped a bit when one guy with light brown, messy hair slapped my back.

"Hey, master! Let's all have a dink when we're all settled in! My name's Sendo!" he grinned.

"Aha, it's nice to meet you." I greeted.

"It's amazing how the demons and griffins get along so well. And I had no idea that there were this many griffins in the human world." I said.

"Yeah. Well, we other griffins have pretty good relationships with the demons. They're not that bad anyway. Plus, they're great with pranks!" Sendo snickered.

I gave him a troubled smile. Somehow I get the feeling that I'll be getting complaints from the villagers every day thanks to what he said.

Sendo pranced in along with the other griffins and after the griffins came the medium and small demons. Too bad for the gigantic demons, they couldn't fit inside. Like the one with a human's body but a lion's face, the other flying demons that were really large settled on the top of the roof.

"When did you guys find all of them?" I asked in amazement after everyone was settled in.

"Thank Yuki. She suggested we get started before you woke up." Ryuu smiled pointing to Yuki who was talking with a woman wearing a long red yukata with long wavy brown hair. I blinked and found myself smiling. I didn't realize I was staring at yuki when Arata snapped his fingers in front of my face.

"Hey." He said making me turn to him in surprise.

"Oh, sorry." I apologized, my face feeling hot.

"Anyway, what should we do now that we have this entire army?" Kai asked. I blinked and looked down that ground, thinking. I think we should just wait for Moon's call or plan our attack on Satsugai.

"Wait! Let's see our room!" Arata shouted then dragged the four of us along with him. I took Yuki's arm, dragging her along too.

We got to a wooden double door and I pushed them open to see a large, spacious room with wooden floorboards. The other side had a sliding door left open, revealing the small pond outside. At one corner, there were 5 mattresses put on top of each other.

"Wow! It's huge. Hey, let's all sleep in this room!" Arata cried happily.

"Sure but Yuki needs her own room." I said turning to yuki.

"Oh, I'll be sharing a room with Yuki-onna!" she giggled happily, grabbing a girl with long black hair and snow white skin. The girl looked up at me and I saw she had dark blue eyes and she was wearing a long white yukata.

"Oh! Masters! It's nice to meet you!" she smiled widely. Well, she's not too bad.

"Well, at least you've made a new friend." I chuckled.

"Since you dragged me along, we need to go back to the garden now." Yuki pouted and they skipped back outside. I blinked with confusion. Why do girls act so weird sometimes?

The other guys were already getting settled in, setting the mattresses next to each other. I saw Salem pick up the pillow then throw it at the back of Kai's head.

"Hey!" Kai yelled and saw Salem snicker. He took the other pillow and now, the pillow fight started. I stared at them.

I was starting to see some kind of pattern.

"Ah, what is this? A housewarming ceremony?" I muttered. Right on cue, one of the pillows flew through the glass sliding doors and flew out into the pond.

"ACK!" Kai cried. My mouth twitched and I felt a shout coming on.

"Grrr….KAIIII!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I swear, these guys are not even close to the word 'master'.

After a good punch on the head, they finally stopped acting like little kids and fixed the room while I sat on the mattress sipping tea.

"Hey, this is just too cruel Gaku." Kai muttered. I sighed.

"Hey, you bought this onto yourselves." I said. after finishing my tea, I was about to go see our new allies when suddenly, the doors flew open with Sendo standing in the middle of the doorway with a huge grin on his face.

"Masters! Come on! It's time to exchange cups of loyalty!" he snickered then took my arm & started dragging me out the room. My eyes grew wide.

The exchanging of cups of loyalty slipped my mind. This is when new clan members drink sake together and with that, master & subordinates are now umm…loyal to each other.

"Ack! Wait, I'm under aged! I'm only 15! I can't drink yet!" I cried with a panicked tone while Sendo dragged me through the corridors.

"Oh, come on Gaku! No one will know anyway!" Salem snickered.

"You're a bad influence! You're only 16!" I roared.

"Jeez, stop being a baby and let's go! Besides, have you forgotten? You're the leader now. You _have_ to do the cup exchange." Kai snickered.

I rolled my eyes and gave up. He has a point.

We got outside into the open grass and we were welcomed by all the demons and griffins waiting for us. They started cheering happily and held up their cups.

Sendo gave the five of us big red cups and poured sake into them.

"Oh, Moon's going to kill you." I heard Yuki giggle. She stood next to me with the same red cup in her hands.

"Hey, don't drink too much." I muttered darkly making her laugh.

"Alright! Now that the masters are here! Do we swear to be by our master's side at all times?!" Sendo yelled.

"YEAH!" they replied loudly making my hair stand on end.

"Do we swear to never lose and be the best and strongest clan of demons & griffins that ever existed?!"

"YEAHHH!" they all replied. I suddenly started smiling at their enthusiasm and I actually felt how serious they are about this.

"Now! Cheers for the prosperity of The Clan of a Hundred demons & Griffins!" Sendo cried lifting his cup. We all cheered and followed his gesture then I gulped down the sake. I have to say, sake really isn't my type of drink.

"I have a question for you Sendo." I told Sendo while keeping my eyes on the grass.

"Yes master?" he asked happily.

"I was just wondering…why are you all so loyal to us even though this is the first time we all met?" I asked him and he finished his sake before turning to me.

"Well, we all hate Satsugai and we all know about the Akiyama clan and your father." He said. I didn't know father was so popular here. I looked around, seeing all the demons getting drunk, their faces red and big smiles lighting up their faces.

"Your dad was a really great man. He was powerful, strong and he had this impact on you that lasts for a very long time." he continued. I looked at him with a straight face.

"You've met him?" I asked and he nodded taking another sip of sake.

"Yeah. We've all met your father. He was awesome. Actually, he already made a clan composed of demons and griffins. He was considered the most powerful leader for both demons _and_ griffins. That was a long time ago and some of the demons and griffins around here were a part of his clan." He explained.

"Really? I never knew that." Arata said with wonder.

"That's because the clan Lord Akiyama made was started when he was only a teenager and ended when he died." Sendo said and my eyes grew wide.

"That long? He kept the clan together for _that long_?" I asked with wonder and Sendo nodded.

"Yep. I understand how you don't know this but my dad was one of your fathers subordinates a long time ago. He was actually second in command. Once word got out that you were here and you needed some help, all the people who respected and looked up to your father came rushing to you masters." He said.

"Besides, we can all feel that you're all capable leaders and we all love this world so, we want to be part of your clan." Sendo explained.

"Gakuren,"

I looked ahead to see a man with long light brown hair approaching us. He sat in front of me and I immediately felt the wave of power come off him.

"I'm Makoto Urui." He said with his low voice. I bowed my head to him and he looked up at me with his dark yellow eyes.

"It's nice to finally meet Ciel's son. You weren't born yet when your father made his clan." He chuckled.

"Oh, so you were part of uncle Ciel's previous clan?" Kai asked and Urui nodded.

"I'm glad that you are fighting for this world just like your father. Anyway, if this kid is bothering you, just let me know." He said with an innocent smile while he pointed at Sendo.

"Ah, dad! I'm not doing anything!" Sendo cried. I blinked at Urui and realized he was the one Sendo was talking about.

"Ah, you were second in command?" I asked him and he chuckled.

"I see Sendo's told you some things. Well, yes I was. Is there anything else you'd like to know?" he asked and I thought hard. One question came in my mind.

"Yes. Do you know a guy named Sasuke Uchiha?" I asked and by the way he tensed, I guess he does. He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, yes. The Uchiha clan is very famous around here…and Sasuke Uchiha, he's a missing ninja now." he explained and I nodded in understanding.

"I know. He's my teammate actually." I blurted out.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He apologized and I raised my hand.

"No need for apologies. Do you know where he is?" I asked. He sighed and shook his head. I grit my teeth and nodded. I looked down at the ground, I have to say, I was hoping he would know something.

"His whereabouts are unknown. Even to the black ops. Do you intend to bring him back?" Urui asked and I stopped my breath.

"I…I have no clue to be honest." I admitted with a laugh full of disgust for myself. I'm a horrible teammate.

"I want to get him back but, what if he doesn't want to? Once I get him here, it just might cause trouble for the village." I explained. Urui stayed quiet for a while and so did I.

"Well, think about it for a bit. But may I remind you…" he said, making me look up at him. I saw he had eyes full of confidence and leadership.

"Don't forget what you're here for. For now, focus on the fox spirit." He reminded. This made me feel a little angry though. It was all so irritating that I can't do anything for my human friends and get Sasuke back. I sighed & nodded.

"Right. Thank you Urui." I said with a gentle smile. He smiled back and sighed.

"Well, enough of the heavy. You should enjoy this moment and forget your troubles…Young master." Urui chuckled. I felt a little embarrassed being called 'Young Master' by someone older. I did as he said and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with my new clan members.

We all sat in the main room, sipping vanilla tea. After a long afternoon of celebration, we were all so tired so, we only sat quietly in the main room, not speaking. Kai and Salem were painting something while Ryuu was reading books as usual.

Arata was lying on his back and staring off into space while I looked out at the bright moon thinking about tons of things.

"Gaku. Let's go to bed. Everything's settled. We have a new clan and they're all very strong so now, we just have to wait for Moon." Kai told me. I realized I was getting sleepy so I nodded once and Urui left for his home.

"Where are Yui and Yujin?" I asked.

"Oh, they're already asleep. Yui's sleeping in Yuki's room."

I shouldn't have made the house bigger. That was such of power since the only people who'll be living here are me, Kai, Salem, Ryuu, Kai, Arata, Yuki, Yui & Yujin.

I had to admit, I still wasn't ready to accept the new clan members that easily. So, Salem had them go with the Makoto clan until I get used to their presence.

The five of us headed to our room and since Yuki was already asleep in her room, I had nothing else to worry about.


	10. Paranoia-Another word for 'Go Crazy'

CHAPTER 10:

I woke up all of a sudden and realized I was the first to wake up. I stretched my arms and got out of bed. I went out to the garden to see the sky was clear and it was really quiet today. I sighed then went to the bathroom and took a bath. I decided to wear black pants, a white sleeveless tee paired with a white jacket.

Once that was done, I thought of going out to find Naruto and Sakura. I walked to the gates and once I pulled the wooden door knob, I saw my brother, Moon with his hand raised as if he was about to knock.

"Moon." I said with surprise and he smiled a bit at me and to my surprise, he tackle hugged me, making us fall to the ground and kissed my cheek. I growled and pushed him away.

"STOP THAT!" I screeched making him laugh.

"So, what happened little brother? Got any allies yet?" he asked going into the house.

"Yeah. Salem had made separate houses for them since there were way too many." I bragged. He raised his brow at me and we went in the house.

Once we got in, everyone was awake and they were raiding the kitchen but Yuki sat on the cushions, yawning and still wearing her pajamas. I cleared my throat loudly and the guys looked up at me, their mouths stuffed with food. I rolled my eyes at them.

"Moom's Hewe!" Kai said, his mouth filled with pancakes.

"Hey guys… What? Gakuren doesn't feed you?" Moon asked teasingly and to my surprise they nodded.

"HUH?! Gakuren…" Moon said, looking up at me with disappointment. My mouth fell with disbelief.

"Hey! You guys are the _reason_ why I can't give you any food!" I yelled making them snicker. We all sat around the table with vanilla tea in front of us.

"Well, anyway, we've tracked down Satsugai and we've found she's only making her way here to the human world. She's currently in Extail." Moon said nonchalantly. My eyes grew wide.

"Then what in earth are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be in Extail?!" I roared, slamming my hand on the table.

"Gakuren, Satsugai will not harm Extail." he replied.

"How are you so sure?" I snorted.

"Cause' she thinks it's a waste of time to focus on Extail first." He said, looking up at me with serious eyes. My eyes grew wide at that statement.

"So, she's coming _here_ first?!" Arata yelled in alarm. I stared down at the table, my heart panicking.

"The human world is very weak even though there are many ninja's here. And the fact that you guys are here doesn't make any difference to her. But, there's a hole in her plan." Moon said, giving me back some hope.

"What is it then?" Yuki asked.

"Only griffins can come here to the human world. And since she's no longer a griffin, along with her army of demons, she won't be able to get here unless she has help. And there are very few griffins that can make a portal leading here." Moon said sipping tea.

"Then, let's go to Extail and kill her there! We already have tons of allies and most of them are really strong demons!" Salem urged excitedly.

"There's also one more problem." Moon said making me wilt down the floor.

"There might be someone helping Satsugai cross over to the human world. One of our subordinates found out from hearing Satsugai's followers that there's one griffin that's helping her get here." moon said making me lose hope once again.

"Great." I muttered darkly.

"Then what should we do?" Ryuu asked.

"I'll be calling some of my subordinates here. Just leave some of your subordinates spread out across the human world to protect them." Moon said.

Salem stood up then went out to the garden. Once he was out, shadows started seeping out from around us and floated towards him. He raised his hand then snapped his fingers. The shadows then flew up the air heading to every direction. Salem came back in and sat next to Moon.

"I sent shadow messengers to explain what's going to happen. Our allies will know what to do." Salem said, giving me an assuring smile. I smiled back and kept quiet. Thinking about things I would over look.

"When do you think she'll arrive?" I asked and Moon pursed his lips.

"We don't know. But, surely, not today. it takes a very long time to make a portal and if it's only a normal griffin, it will take lots of time. I don't feel anything bad around here." Moon said. I nodded then stood up.

"I'll be walking around the village." I said and left the room.

I walked around the entire village, seeing if anything was wrong. Everyone seemed so carefree today, but I feel uneasy. I walked and walked until the day ended with no events whatsoever. I didn't find Naruto or Sakura either.

I sighed and saw I was already at the top of the hokage faces rock formation. The wind played with my hair & I looked down at the entire village. It was already dark so I decided to go home.

I got to the edge of our forest and saw my friends & Moon out on the veranda eating together.

"Gakuren. Where've you been?" Moon asked with a worried tone.

"I was exploring." I simply said and walked past them, heading to our room.

"Wait! You're not gonna eat?" yuki called.

"Not hungry." I replied and continued to our room.

I pulled the sliding door open and plopped onto my fixed bed. I ran my fingers through my hair since it got me calm whenever I'm stressed or worried. I took a shower and change into black jogging pants & a white sleeveless shirt. I plopped onto bed & fell asleep almost instantly.

I woke up to the loud rain pouring outside. I opened my eyes to see it was raining really hard and the wind was very strong as well. I sat up and now I felt even more worried than before.

I got out of bed and had the usual bath and changed into black pants and a black shirt paired with a black leather jacket. I put on my combat boots and headed out to the main room since I heard my friends there.

"Gakuren." Kai said once I came in.

"Something happening now?" I asked and they shook their heads. I nodded & felt really jumpy. I then walked out the room & headed out into the rain.

"GAKU! Where are you going?!" Kai yelled but I ignored him and ran through the rain. I just felt so paranoid, I had to go out into the rain and relax.

While I ran around, absentmindedly, I ended up at the hospital doors. I then pulled the doors open and went in to look around.

While I walked through the corridors, people stared at me with concern in their eyes but I kept looking straight ahead. While I was stomping through the hallways, I bumped into someone.

"Sorry." I apologized and started walking again but that person grabbed my arm. I looked up through my dripping bangs and saw Sakura looking at me with very worried eyes.

"Gaku…what's wrong?" she asked me. I blinked at her and looked down.

"I'm just…paranoid." I simply said. She kept her eyes at me then I saw she had a plate full of apples in her hands.

"Who're you visiting?" I asked.

"Naruto." She said making me freeze and look at her with surprised eyes.

"Where is he?" I asked and I started pulling her but she stayed put. She pulled my arm then to my surprise, started patting my face with a small towel. I blinked at her and stared at her, my face feeling hot.

"Sakura, what are you…" I said but she ignored me and kept wiping my face. When I thought she was getting all sweet on me, once she reached the top of my head, she rubbed her knuckles into my skull.

"OW! Hey!" I cried, pulling away from her. She giggled and gave me the towel.

"Such drama." She giggled then pulled me to the other hallway. Weirdo.

We got to a room and she pulled the doors open. Sitting on one chair was Sai & on the bed, sleeping with an idiotic face was Naruto. He had bandages wrapped all over him and he was hugging the pillow like a little kid.

"Idiot." I muttered making Sakura giggle. Sai turned to me and blinked.

"What are you doing here all wet?" he asked. I blinked at him and shrugged my shoulders.

"Just, wanted to go for a walk in the rain." I said and Sakura started peeling the apples with a knife. I sat on one of the chairs and she gave me one apple. Sai as well. Suddenly, Naruto moaned and tossed around the bed.

"Hmm, Sakura feed me some." He giggled. Sakura growled and pushed one of the apples into his mouth.

"I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON IT!" she growled angrily. Naruto's eyes flew wide open and he started choking on the apple. I snickered a bit, taking a bite of my apple and Naruto spit his apple out.

"Hey Sakura, what was that for?!" Naruto shrieked and Sakura glared at him, making him shudder.

I tried to smile but it was half-hearted. I looked out the window and saw the wind was really strong. The trees were lashing out violently and it made me uneasy.

Suddenly, the ring moon gave me started heating up. I quickly looked down at it then a word appeared. "EMERGENCY" it said, glowing with a bright red color. My eyes grew wide and I rushed out the room with my heart beating like a drum.

"GAKU!" I heard Naruto call. I have no time to explain anymore so I ran through the corridors and since Naruto's room was at the 3rd floor, I turned to one of the windows then pulled open the glass. The wind tackled me, making debris fly into the hallway.

I forced myself out then climbed down the pipe near the window. Once I got to the ground, I tried to make the wind go slower but it was incredibly taxing. I growled and decided just to run home.

I got home, soaking wet from the rain. I approached the gates cautiously since it was so quiet. I went inside and found that Moon and the others weren't there. I walked silently through the hallways, trying to look for their presence. I went to the garden & sensed someone.

My sword materialized on my right hand and I clashed with someone else's. I looked up to see Crane. He grinned at me and waved his hand.

"Hello! Guess you're all better now!" he snickered then raised his right hand which turned into metal then formed as a huge, sharp blade. My eyes widened and I summoned air, making him fly back and hit the hard wall.

"What are you doing?!" I roared.

"Didn't I…say, I was going to…fight you?" he asked between coughs. I blinked and I heard people clapping behind me. I turned quickly to see Moon and my friends clapping their hands.

"Alright Gaku! You go get him!" Moon cheered. I stared at them with a blank expression and the edge of my mouth twitched, I stomped over to them.

"What kind of emergency is this?! You have any idea how much I went through to get here?!" I roared with Moon's shirt in my fist, an anime vein popping in my head.

"Aha, well, we couldn't contact you any other way." He laughed nervously. I glared at him with dark eyes and if I were an anime, a really huge vein would've throbbed on my head.

"Ah jeez." I muttered under my breath and turned back to Crane. I saw his demon gang peeking from behind the wall.

"You had something to do with the weather?" I asked still annoyed. He scratched the back of his head.

"Uh, sorry. Did I take it too far?" he snickered. My mouth twitched and I cracked my knuckles.

"Let's fight." I snickered.

"Uh-oh. It's fast kill king…" I heard Ryuu mumble.

"Rules?" I asked.

"Just get me on my knees. If I get _you_ on your knees, I won't help." He simply said.

"Got it." I said then raised both my hands and threw fireballs at my feet. The ground exploded and smoke enveloped us. I summoned my katana & raised it then sliced the air, making a vortex of wind fly to Crane. The smoke opened up, revealing a surprised Crane and I tackled him, making him fly back.

"This'll be fun." I whispered with a huge grin. This'll surely take my mind off things.


	11. Griffin Versus Demon Yakuza

CHAPTER 11:

Once he hit the wall & fell on the ground, he looked up at me with shock then chuckled. To my surprise, he looked unhurt & suddenly, he sat down, cross-legged & totally relaxed.

"Well, aren't you going to attack anymore? I'm getting awfully bored." He sighed & the edge of my mouth twitched with irritation.

"Don't get too comfortable." I smiled & slammed my hand to the ground. The hard, grass covered floor shook & spiked made out of hard rocks popped out, snaking towards Crane.

Before the spikes could reach him, he disappeared into thin air. I blinked & growled, gritting my teeth. Suddenly, fog started to form around me, enveloping me & clouding my eyes. I stood straight, alarmed & tried to find Crane.

"Little Griffin…" I heard Crane say & it was loud enough for me to think that he was only right behind me. I quickly summoned my sword & whirled, only to slice the air.

I then heard an amused chuckle come from behind me.

"Gakuren…don't forget…I'M A DEMON!"

Suddenly, Crane appeared right in front of me with his arm blade raised. I gasped & before he could slice me, we clashed weapons.

"Hmm…impressive. So it's true that you have reflexes faster than a griffin." Crane grinned happily. I grit my teeth & pushed his blade back with mine, making sparks fly up the air.

Finally, after lots of effort, I was able to push his sword & he flew back to the wall, hitting it hard.

That didn't turn out the way I expected. He was harder to take down than all the other demons I've fought before. Normally, a griffin like me wouldn't have any problem with demons like him but, it was weird since I was beginning to feel my muscles strain.

Maybe I was out of shape. Honestly, this is one of the reasons I _hate_ sitting behind a desk, doing nothing but sign papers, go to balls or gatherings without a good battle to fight in. even Moon won't have time to spar with me.

Right when I was distracted, from the cloud of dust that covered Crane, thousands of spears & knives shot out and luckily, I was able to duck in time & the blades only managed to graze my arm.

I crinkled my nose at the dust & snapped my fingers.

The air shimmered & there was a low buzzing sound. Suddenly, the flurry of blades stopped & they all exploded.

I panted & kneeled on my right knee since that simple snap of my fingers made me lose a lot of energy. It was a new defense master taught me when I had time. It was a long process of enduring master's Spartan training & monstrous tactics of training until I could perfect all this.

"Ahh, it looks like you're losing your power kiddo." crane said with a smile as he calmly walked through the cloud of silver dust. He sounded fine, but he was covered in bruises & cuts.

I got up, a little wobbly & Crane charged me, his arm turning once again into a sharp blade in the blink of an eye. I took a deep breath & instinctively raised my right hand.

I felt power rise in my & blood raced through my veins. Time to end this.

Crane gasped & immediately stopped in his tracks, skidding back away from me.

I took a step & in a heartbeat, I was right behind a frozen Crane.

He tensed & quickly turned. Before he could slice my head off, I stopped the blade, grasping it with my bare hands. His eyes grew wide & my sword materialized in my hand. I put it against his throat & punched his stomach.

Everyone winced & Crane fell to his knees, shaking. He looked up at me & his blade started to turn back into his normal arm.

"Hmm…you're on your knees. I win." I grinned & he stared at me with eyes full of amazement & quickly smiled, shaking his head back and forth.

"Yep. I lost." He admitted with an amused smile. Suddenly, the garden erupted with applause. I pulled up Crane and my sword disappeared. He then messed up my hair.

"Impressive. Truly an Akiyama." He chuckled & I snorted.

"Uh-huh. That's my little bro for you." I heard Moon say with a proud & prideful tone. "Well, of course, I _am_ his big brother." He added with a ridiculous pose.

I rolled my eyes, feeling embarrassed by my stupid brother. I just don't know what Hikari-chan finds attractive about him.

"Ahaha, you're really funny Moon! Sorry, but I was praising _Gakuren_. Not you, _idiot snail_." Crane laughed with a carefree smile. The edge of Moon's mouth twitched & suddenly, he was right beside Moon glowering at him.

"What you wanna fight? _Stupid squinty_?" Moon taunted.

"I would love to see how much you've weakened _pink eyes_." Crane taunted back as they started pushing each other's foreheads with their own. I stared at them with a dumbfounded expression & walked to my friends.

I plopped down next to Kai & sighed, crossing my legs & leaning with my palms on the floor.

"Well, only an idiot can understand an idiot anyway." I muttered darkly making my friends laugh.

"So, does this mean Crane's apart of the clan now?" Arata asked as he munched on some popcorn.

"Yeah." I replied as the edge of my mouth twitched when I saw he had some popcorn. How long was he eating that?

I then turned to see Kai & Salem also had some snacks. Even Ryuu had a plate of sliced watermelons next to him.

"Hey…have you guys been eating all this time?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

"Uh-huh. Well, there was a good show going on anyway." Salem grinned as he munched on a sliced apple. The edge of my mouth twitched again & Ryuu gave me some watermelon. I happily took it & suddenly, someone tackled me from behind.

I turned with alarm only to see Yuki grinning at me.

"Hihi. I heard you won! That's great Ren! Oh, here you go guys!" yuki announced & stood up rummaging through the shopping bags behind her.

"What's that?" Kai asked.

"I was going around the village & saw these cool stuff." She smiled & took out lots of yes, very cool stuff.

She each gave us some of the things she said she bought in the village as she was hanging out with Yujin. To be honest, I felt a little hurt since she didn't ask me to go with her.

She gave Salem a cool katana with a white handle that Salem adored so much; he won't even let us touch it. Ryuu got some books about the ninja world & some books about myths & legends in the human world, Arata got the board game he wanted since he saw it in one of the stores we saw the first day they got to the village, Kai got some cool bows & arrow while I got a really cool white leather jacket.

I know I have lots of leather jackets, but this was the one I've wanted to get since I saw it in one of the stores.

"Wow! Thanks Yuki! Where'd you get the money for all this?!" Arata cried. Yuki flinched & a nervous smile grew on her face.

"You got it from Gakuren's savings?" Ryuu blurted & I blinked as I put on the jacket. The edge of my mouth twitched & I glared at Yuki.

"Yuki…" I growled & she laughed nervously.

"Well, only _some_ of your savings. I swear!" yuki said with a sheepish grin.

I rolled my eyes & sighed. "Whatever. Thanks anyway." I said with a smile & messed up her hair.

"Hey!" she whined angrily making me chuckle. She blinked & looked behind me. She then smiled sheepishly.

"Um, what on earth is going on here?" she asked with a weak laugh.

We all turned & froze to see Moon lying on the ground with his face on the ground & arms spread out and Crane sitting on top of him, eating an apple comfortably with his legs crossed over each other.

It was a ridiculous sight really.

What, with the smaller demons kneeling in front of them in a circle & totally bowing down at Crane like he was some kind of Buddha.

I blinked & we stared at them, with a blank expression. "Yeah…what in the world happened?" Kai asked with a dumfounded look.

"Well, Moon asked for a spar, so I gave it to him." Crane smiled innocently.

"You embarrass me brother." I muttered coldly.

"You're so cold Rennie!" Moon whined as his head cocked up.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" I yelled back.

While Moon was hugging me to death begging me to forgive him for being such a dumb brother, the doors flew open.

We all froze & Moon let go of me, pulling out his sword with Crane next to him.

Suddenly, one of our demon subordinates came in, he had red skin & long curved horns & he had long sharp teeth as canines, he was breathless & heavily wounded, with cuts & blood covering him.

"Masters…" he muttered & fell to the ground. We rushed over & Ryuu took out a small vile filled with white liquid then popped the cork off.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It's a healing potion I just made yesterday. Drink." He ordered the demon & he obediently followed.

"What happened to you?" Moon asked with serious & angry eyes.

"The other house…was attacked… they sent me here…for help…" he muttered weakly. I flinched & grit my teeth.

"Which house?" Crane asked.

"The house…north of this…" he coughed. "I don't know…if…anyone else…survived the attack." He added, with another strong cough.

"Alright. You've done well my friend. Now rest. We'll take care of this." I said & stood up.

"Take him to the infirmary." I ordered & we all got up as the griffins took him to rest.

"Guys! Guard this house, Crane, tell your subordinates to spread out into the village, guard the whole perimeter." I ordered & he nodded then barked orders to the other demons.

"Yujin? Where is he?" I asked trying to find that brown, spiky hair.

"Gakuren!" I turned to see Yujin along with Yui holding his hand.

"Yujin, there's been an attack. I want you to gather some griffins & demons then go to the other houses. To check if the others are okay." I said, worrying about the Urui house & if Sendo and Makoto were okay.

"Got it. Yui, stay with Yuki-onna." He said as Yuki-onna, the snow woman took Yui.

Yujin then sped off to the other side of the house where the others were.

"Now, all of you guard this house & if anything happens…do whatever you can to protect everyone." I ordered.

"Yes master!" they all yelled in unison.

"What about me?" Yuki asked with a confused look.

"I need you to stay here with Yujin. Lead the others if you have to. We'll take care of the situation on the north." She sighed & nodded with understanding and I nodded once & turned to Moon

"Let's go." I said & we all ran to the wall & jumped over it, landing quietly on the grass.

I kept on thinking about whoever attacked. Could it be that Satsugai has made her move? I have a horrible feeling in my gut that everything is just starting.


	12. A Message within the Massacre

CHAPTER 12:

After a few minutes, we got to one of the houses. We stopped in front of a large, traditional Japanese mansion & we ran to the front doors.

Once I pushed the doors open, my eyes widened to see many of our allies…have fallen. Even the griffins were down. Although I'm not sure if they're still alive.

"What in the world…"Crane muttered with utter shock in his voice. I for one don't even have the voice to squeak one word.

Arata, Ryuu & Salem immediately ran in, checking for survivors & I rushed to one of the demons then put my finger on his neck…no pulse.

"Guys?" I asked, turning to my friends who were checking pulses too. They all looked up & sadly shook their heads.

My heart sunk & horrible guilt crashed down on me. I was surprised at myself for even squeaking all of a sudden.

"Who…did this?" Moon trailed off & I could feel the anger in his voice. I looked up & froze to see Moon's fist glowing & smoke hissed from his closed hand. That only happens when he's really, really mad.

And the last time I remember that happening was when he fought with uncle about something, and because of his anger & annoyance, he managed to destroy our dojo, leaving it as a mound of ash. (Which was huge by the way.)

I looked around the place & again…crimson red…that damned color. As I walked around, trying to control my anger, I almost slipped on something.

I looked down & stared at the snake's skin lying on the ground, all pale and…guh, wrinkly. I bent down to pick it up & realized, this looks like Orochimaru's doing. I growled & I closed my fist and my hand burst into flames.

I gnashed my hand, crumbling the burned skin & found great satisfaction as the small, burned bits floated down to the ground.

"I suspect that damned snake." I hissed angrily, my neck feeling hot. They all turned to me with shock & Kai flinched when he saw me. He quickly walked to me & gingerly held my shoulders.

"Gaku…you're turning red. Calm down…control yourself." He said & I struggled. It was really hard to do what he asked.

I shut my eyes & again, my side started to hurt.

I growled deeply as the pain started to come & turned to the wall, slamming my fist, making a hole.

"Gaku!" Moon yelled in alarm & I kept my eyes shut. I grit my teeth & my fist ached since I was clenching it so hard.

"Gaku! What is it now?" Moon asked, panicked.

"Side…" I muttered.

"What?" Kai asked & I growled, gritting my teeth as the pain grew.

If you wanna know how it feels…well, it feels like a giant fireworks rocket went through me & not just that, it burned wildly. Since it's been happening a lot lately, I've accepted it & started thinking if this was some kind of family disease or what.

"His side hurts again." Ryuu finally announced for me. I breathed carefully since it hurt to breath.

"Side…Oh!" Moon said with a victorious tone.

"What?" Salem asked Moon.

"Nothing to worry about. It's normal for griffins your age." Moon announced & I he suddenly patted…more like _hit_ my back. I grit my teeth & instead of a loud shout, a very angry growl escaped my teeth. He chuckled at me & I shut my eyes tight.

"But, why aren't we hurting like he is?" Arata asked.

"It only happens to the griffins on the Akiyama clan. The teenagers to be exact. It also happened to me." Moon explained.

Slowly, while he talked, the pain was subsiding & I sighed with relief as it disappeared completely. I leaned on the wooden wall for support since my knees felt like buckling.

"Okay…it's…gone now…explain…later will you?" I panted & Salem rubbed my back.

"Anyway, I think Orochimaru's behind this." I announced, still feeling weak.

"Why'd you think so?" Salem asked.

"I found a snake's skin. It was fresh too." I said.

"Where is it then?" Crane asked & I twitched.

"Uh…I kinda burnt it." I said nervously & they sighed, their faces falling into their palms.

"Well, we'll find out soon." Crane said & waved his hand. Suddenly, all the bodies disappeared, leaving the room corpse-free.

"We can't just leave their bodies like this." He announced with a serious look. Crane & Moon walked out the room & into the other as Ryuu, Salem & Arata looked around for clues.

"Tch. How pathetic." I chuckled darkly at myself.

"What do you mean?" Kai asked, standing next to me & putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Cause'…we're the leaders and even though our subordinates are the ones protecting us…we also have to do the same. They showed us so much trust…and we…" I trailed off, gritting my teeth. Someone put their hand on my head & I looked up to see Moon looking down at me with gentle eyes.

"We'll find out who did this. I swear it." Moon said, walking to the window as he stared through the dark sky.

"Once we do…he'll suffer greatly." Moon hissed. I sighed at him & decided to just head out.

I was out the house, sitting on the stairs while I stared at the dark, cloudy sky.

I suddenly thought about my skills, leadership skills that is. Will I even be able to pull this off? Form my own clan & lead them fearlessly through night & day?

Heck, I can't even protect them from one man. I started to doubt myself & began feeling so guilty, I could hate myself.

I grit my teeth & sighed.

"Gakuren." I heard Ryuu call with his low & quiet voice. I didn't bother to turn & look at him so he sat down next to me.

"Stop doubting yourself." He said as he gripped my shoulder. "You won't get anywhere like this." He added. I blinked my lifeless eyes & slowly nodded.

He stayed quiet for a while & finally spoke. "Well, we found something. Come inside." he said & stood up, pulling me up my feet.

We stepped into one room that had an eagle etched on the door & saw the inside was wrecked. Blood everywhere, a large burn hole on the bed & the golden curtains were ripped too. I don't even want to go farther since all this chaos was hard to describe.

Salem was kneeling down in front of someone but I couldn't see his full body.

I only managed to see baggy, dark green pants & at the holed end, were two large, scaly bird feet with sharp & wicked claws that were coated with blood.

I didn't have to see any more. I knew it was this branch's head general- Anyu; a Tengu. (Tengu's are Japanese demons with long noses & have wings. Basically they look like large crows)

Standing in front of the wall that had 4 curved holders, was Kai & he was holding a small circular, gold jewel box in one hand while he gripped a long, gold katana with his other hand.

"Gaku, take a look at this. Anyu left us something." Kai said & pulled open the jewelry box's cover.

Suddenly, fiery words flew out & burned in the air in front of Kai. i was speechless & stood next to Kai & silently read the message.

"Masters, forgive me for not being able to protect this house as I have sworn. I do not deserve any of your pity for me. As the house was being attacked, I was able to conduct a spell & make this message for you. We found out the enemy's name is Orochimaru." The first lines read & I clenched my fist.

"For some reason, he knows about Kitsune & he might just attack the main house when it's at its most vulnerable…he aims for Master Moon & Gakuren..."

I felt my chest tighten & I took a breath as I read the next parts.

"Keep my katana in hand for it holds great power & it could help defeat Kitsune. Sadly, this is the only information I can give you…Before Orochimaru finds this secret room, I have to end this spell & try to fight as long as I can. Do not grieve…especially you, master Gakuren."

As I read the last sentence, I froze. How did he know that?

"Judging by how you talked with all us demons, you have a soft & sensitive personality. Do not grieve for a warrior does not do so. Remain strong & keep your spirit alive! Lead the clan into glory & defeat Kitsune! Let The Akiyama clan prevail!"

After that monologue, the golden words slowly disappeared. I took a breath & Kai walked to me, holding out the katana to me.

"Keep it with you." Kai said with a serious face.

I gingerly held it & gripped it tightly.

"Hey guys! Someone's alive!" I heard Arata yell. Salem looked up at us & he stood up, leaving Anyu's lifeless body & strode out the room.

The three of us looked at each other & went out the room, following Salem.


	13. Ganging up on an Injured Person is Mean

CHAPTER 13:

As we ran into another room, we saw Salem kneeling over a guy with spiky black hair & ivory skin.

"A Griffin." I muttered with relief. At least someone's still alive.

Salem bandaged up the guy's bloody wounds & carried him out the room.

"Let's go. We need to give him some treatment." Salem said & went out the room, carrying the wounded griffin.

Kai, Ryuu & I followed him but I stopped once I reached the door.

There was no one else here but, I felt a presence around us. I furrowed my brows.

"Gaku." Ryuu called & I looked back at the two of them.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll be going around the place first. I'll follow shortly." I said, giving them an assuring smile. They exchanged unsure glances & Kai sighed.

"Alright. Don't get into trouble. You're still healing even though you can fight well now." Kai said pointedly & they both turned their backs to me, leaving the room.

I stood there, still & unmoving. Once I felt they were all leaving, I started to walk slowly around the inside of the house, minding every small movement. As I checked every room, my eyes floated towards a body, lying lifelessly on the floor. I blinked & stood at the doorway.

It felt as if the person was still alive but I hesitated to come near him. It felt like I knew his aura. I knit my brows at him & decided to see if this was someone on our side.

I kneeled down in front of the body & noticed it was a guy's figure. He was wearing normal clothes like a griffin but, he wore a bright red & scary mask. It looked like the ones the Anbu ninja wear but this one had long fangs on it.

As I looked closer, his mask was suddenly inches from mine.

"Hello Gakuren." The low & teenage voice purred. My eyes widened as I heard that all too irritatingly familiar voice.

Before I could jump away, he had already stabbed me.

"Guh." I winced & grit my teeth since where the sword hit was my previous wound.

I gasped & glared at the masked man then angrily pulled off the mask to see Kabuto smiling menacingly at me.

"You again…what the hell do you want?" I hissed as I gripped the sword covered in my own glittering blood.

"Ha. We already did what we want. Bring down your self-esteem as a leader was done." He chuckled darkly. A growl escaped my throat & I snapped the sword all the while pulling it out as my anger rose.

Right on time, something made a loud sound outside & Kabuto looked out. Since I had the opportunity, I gave him a strong right hook to the face, making him fall harshly to the ground.

"You…How dare you…" I hissed. I couldn't say anything else. I was so mad, I couldn't think of any words to bring out my mouth. I gripped his shirt, lifting him off the ground & his shirt smoldered from my flaming hands.

"My, my, getting a little too cranky are we? Sigh, and here I was thinking I could take that katana away from you." he laughed.

"Kabuto?...GAKUREN!" I heard Moon yell from outside. Suddenly, I felt the air change & I held my hand up, setting up a barrier to keep him out of this.

"GAKUREN! OPEN THIS! HEY!" Moon shouted from the other side of the barrier. I ignored him & growled at Kabuto.

"Where's Orochimaru? You have a lot of guts to attack us in broad daylight." I hissed.

"Well, I don't really know where he is." He chuckled darkly. I snapped & punched him once more then threw him to the wall.

He flew through the air & hit the wall hard, making some fragments of wood fly off. He bounced off the wall & coughed out blood, falling to the ground all the while gasping for air.

"Then just tell me where Sasuke is. At least that'll be enough for me." I hissed, walking up to him with a glare.

He sat up with his arms shaking & pulled himself up using the wall. Suddenly, he laughed.

"You won't be able to get him back. No matter how hard you try." He chuckled, wiping the blood off his chin. I glowered at him & punched him again.

"Tch." I clicked & he sighed.

"Ah, forget about that. Now, I'll be taking what I came back for. Give me that katana please." He said, smiling innocently.

I knit my brows & gripped the sword strapped behind me.

"Why do you want it?...it's just a sword." I said. Great. He knows about it.

Kabuto sighed. "Fine then…oh, good bye Moon. It was nice to see you again." He smiled.

Suddenly, Kabuto threw long, sharp needles at me & I winced as they dug into my arms & upper chest. As I fell to the ground, Kabuto appeared behind me & took the katana off my back.

I growled at myself since I was paralyzed by the needles. Once Kabuto had the sword in his hands, I let go of the barrier as I fell to the floor, sitting on my butt.

"MOON! CATCH HIM!" I shouted as Kabuto ran to the open window & crashed through it. Moon flew past me & chased after Kabuto.

While I tried to get up on my feet, a blade pierced through me…again.

"GRAAAHH!" I shouted in pain. Someone then pulled the sword out from behind. I slowly turned & my eyes widened to see Kabuto was right behind me, wearing his own purple clothes.

"Wha-what?" I muttered with confusion. Shadow clone?

"Yeah. It was a clone. And, I could care less about that sword but just to make sure, I'll take it from you anyway. But my real mission…" he trailed off & leaned closer to my ear.

"…was to _kill_ you." he whispered & I froze. My throat vibrated, letting out an angry growl & tried to move my arms but they were really paralyzed. I couldn't feel tem at all.

He suddenly smiled at me & pierced my legs with more needles.

"AAAHHH!" I howled. I hung my shaking head & gasped then plopped on the floor.

"Why not just kill me right now?" I wheezed. Why won't he kill me right now? It'll be easier to just finish the job.

"Nah, that won't be any fun. It would be nice to torture you a bit." He smiled & I glared at him.

Kabuto suddenly raised a kunai coated with dark purple liquid & my heart jumped to smell the foul poison.

"You just don't die. But, I made sure this poison will be enough to let you sleep…_forever_." He said, smiling evilly.

I tried to crawl away or just summon my powers but I was too…scared. I didn't know what to do. This whole situation just made me crack.

I looked for a way out & felt someone else's presence.

"GAH!" I heard Kabuto wince & I heard him fall to the ground. After that, my eyes started to blur.

"Gakuren!" I heard Arata yell in alarm but it was muffled. I groaned & my eyes closed as I lost consciousness.

As my eyes slowly opened, I saw I was lying on a soft bed and my eyes dilated as I saw the bright light. I recognized the scent of the room too. It smelled of medicine.

A sigh escaped my lips. In the hospital…_again_.

I turned my head to the double doors & from the small, rectangular window; I saw the side of Salem's face. It looked like he was talking with someone since his lips were moving.

…boy, am I gonna get screamed at again. You have no idea how much I want to jump out the window right now & hide from the terror group. (Salem & Kai are the scariest.)

I slowly tried to sit up but before I could, someone's hand gently pushed me down.

"Can you please, try to sit still?" yuki sighed with exasperated & worried eyes. I blinked at her & lay back down the soft bed. I chuckled at her. she was acting like a mother now.

"Okay." I smirked making her roll her eyes.

"Why do you keep getting beat up? It looks like you age too quickly." She said teasingly. This time it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"Can you promise me that you won't get hurt like this again?" she asked with pouting eyes. I stared at her & looked away.

I can't promise that. So, I'll just keep my mouth shut. Since she might hit me too.

When I didn't answer, she sighed and stood up.

"Sorry about that comment. I know you're in the 'evolution' process." She apologized with a bright smile.

Yeah. She's right. The evolution process. It's what teenage griffins in our clan go through. Only close friends of our clan knew about the name of the process. Other people simply call it the growing up stage, while our enemies call it 'puberty.'

Annoying really.

As Yuki walked away from my bed, my heart suddenly felt heavy for some reason.

I grabbed her hand & she turned to me with a slightly shocked look and pink tinged cheeks.

"Where you going?" I blurted out.

"Oh, you need to rest and I'm just bothering you. Go back to sleep." She said with her cheerful smile. Before I could ask her to stay for a while longer, she had already left the room.

I blinked & lay back on the bed, not knowing whether to sleep or not.

As I daydreamed, the doors flew open, slamming the walls & I flinched to see Moon stomping over to me with an extremely angry expression.

I gulped. Here come the fists.

Once he reached me, he grabbed a fistful of my shirt. Kai & the others came running in with worried expressions.

"Moon!" Salem yelled & Moon turned to him, glaring. Salem froze & kept quiet. Well, know he knows how a real glare is. Salem's glare is no match for Moon's.

Moon turned his glare to me this time.

"Why did you put up that barrier?" his voice growled as his purple eyes slightly glowed.

"I-" My voice started but Moon threw his hand to my mouth, keeping me from talking.

"You knew you were still recovering & you're in the evolution process! _I_ could've taken care of Kabuto!" he roared, making my ears ring.

What did _I_ say?... I was speechless. Moon was actually yelling at me. He's _never_ gotten angry enough to actually _raise_ his voice. Actually, I just thought he would squeeze the life out of me, crying his eyes out.

He hung his head so I couldn't see his face.

"I'm your older brother…" he trailed off & my eyes widened as a tear dropped onto the white blanket on my lap.

"Hey, stop crying…I'm alright anyway." I said with a small smile while I put my hand on his shoulder.

"NO YOU'RE NOT ALRIGHT!" he yelled as he slammed his hand on the bed, making me slightly jump.

"How many times you've been wounded… and I didn't do a thing." He said with a low voice.

Once he looked up at me, my heart sank as seeing the river of tears flowing down his face.

"I promised dad…" he hiccupped & I stared at him.

"I-I promised that…I'll protect you." he cried. After that sentence, it hit me.

Moon was a person who kept his promises & failing to do something for someone even if it was a small thing, he already feels guilty.

A wave of guilt crashed through me. Right when I was about to put my hand on his back and apologize, he looked up at me with puffy, red eyes.

"I know you're just going to say you're okay & all…but, you know how prideful I am about these things. So, next time…" he trailed off & looked down.

"Don't do things on your own. You have friends & family." He reminded. I blinked & smiled a bit.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. Really. I just couldn't control myself." I apologized. He kept his hand down & put his hand on my head.

Suddenly, he pulled me to him & squeezed the life out of me.

"WAAA!" Rennieee~ That damn glasses hurt you again!" he cried as he petted my head. I guess 'glasses' would be Kabuto.

The edge of my mouth twitched with irritation & I winced as the wound on my stomach felt like it opened up.

"Oh! Sorry!" Moon yelled in alarm.

"Uh-huh." I groaned. Kai & the others slowly approached us, wondering if it was safe to come closer to us.

"Well, Gaku, just rest. And _please_…" Salem growled. "Do not get beat up anymore." He said & I nodded with a smirk.

"It makes us look _stupid_." He added & I flinched, losing my smile.

"Yeah, it's really _bothering_." Kai sighed.

"Mhmmm, _troublesome_." Ryuu said with a straight face.

"Yup. Don't be such a _war freak_." Arata agreed. The edge of my mouth twitched as I flinched.

"YOU GUYS ARE GANGING UP ON ME!" I roared, making all of them laugh.


	14. Moon The Horrible Liar

CHAPTER 13:

As we ran into another room, we saw Salem kneeling over a guy with spiky black hair and ivory skin.

"A Griffin." I muttered with relief. At least someone's still alive.

Salem bandaged up the guy's bloody wounds & carried him out the room.

"Let's go. We need to give him some treatment." Salem said & went out the room, carrying the wounded griffin.

Kai, Ryuu & I followed him but I stopped once I reached the door.

There was no one else here but, I felt a presence around us. I furrowed my brows.

"Gaku." Ryuu called & I looked back at the two of them.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll be going around the place first. I'll follow shortly." I said, giving them an assuring smile. They exchanged unsure glances & Kai sighed.

"Alright. Don't get into trouble. You're still healing even though you can fight well now." Kai said pointedly & they both turned their backs to me, leaving the room.

I stood there, still & unmoving. Once I felt they were all leaving, I started to walk slowly around the inside of the house, minding every small movement. As I checked every room, my eyes floated towards a body, lying lifelessly on the floor. I blinked & stood at the doorway.

It felt as if the person was still alive but I hesitated to come near him. It felt like I knew his aura. I knit my brows at him & decided to see if this was someone on our side.

I kneeled down in front of the body & noticed it was a guy's figure. He was wearing normal clothes like a griffin but, he wore a bright red & scary mask. It looked like the ones the Anbu ninja wear but this one had long fangs on it.

As I looked closer, his mask was suddenly inches from mine.

"Hello Gakuren." The low & teenage voice purred. My eyes widened as I heard that all too irritatingly familiar voice.

Before I could jump away, he had already stabbed me.

"Guh." I winced & grit my teeth since where the sword hit was my previous wound.

I gasped & glared at the masked man then angrily pulled off the mask to see Kabuto smiling menacingly at me.

"You again…what the hell do you want?" I hissed as I gripped the sword covered in my own glittering blood.

"Ha. We already did what we want. Bring down your self-esteem as a leader was done." He chuckled darkly. A growl escaped my throat & I snapped the sword all the while pulling it out as my anger rose.

Right on time, something made a loud sound outside & Kabuto looked out. Since I had the opportunity, I gave him a strong right hook to the face, making him fall harshly to the ground.

"You…How dare you…" I hissed. I couldn't say anything else. I was so mad, I couldn't think of any words to bring out my mouth. I gripped his shirt, lifting him off the ground & his shirt smoldered from my flaming hands.

"My, my, getting a little too cranky are we? Sigh, and here I was thinking I could take that katana away from you." he laughed.

"Kabuto?...GAKUREN!" I heard Moon yell from outside. Suddenly, I felt the air change & I held my hand up, setting up a barrier to keep him out of this.

"GAKUREN! OPEN THIS! HEY!" Moon shouted from the other side of the barrier. I ignored him & growled at Kabuto.

"Where's Orochimaru? You have a lot of guts to attack us in broad daylight." I hissed.

"Well, I don't really know where he is." He chuckled darkly. I snapped & punched him once more then threw him to the wall.

He flew through the air & hit the wall hard, making some fragments of wood fly off. He bounced off the wall & coughed out blood, falling to the ground all the while gasping for air.

"Then just tell me where Sasuke is. At least that'll be enough for me." I hissed, walking up to him with a glare.

He sat up with his arms shaking & pulled himself up using the wall. Suddenly, he laughed.

"You won't be able to get him back. No matter how hard you try." He chuckled, wiping the blood off his chin. I glowered at him & punched him again.

"Tch." I clicked & he sighed.

"Ah, forget about that. Now, I'll be taking what I came back for. Give me that katana please." He said, smiling innocently.

I knit my brows & gripped the sword strapped behind me.

"Why do you want it?...it's just a sword." I said. Great. He knows about it.

Kabuto sighed. "Fine then…oh, good bye Moon. It was nice to see you again." He smiled.

Suddenly, Kabuto threw long, sharp needles at me & I winced as they dug into my arms & upper chest. As I fell to the ground, Kabuto appeared behind me & took the katana off my back.

I growled at myself since I was paralyzed by the needles. Once Kabuto had the sword in his hands, I let go of the barrier as I fell to the floor, sitting on my butt.

"MOON! CATCH HIM!" I shouted as Kabuto ran to the open window & crashed through it. Moon flew past me & chased after Kabuto.

While I tried to get up on my feet, a blade pierced through me…again.

"GRAAAHH!" I shouted in pain. Someone then pulled the sword out from behind. I slowly turned & my eyes widened to see Kabuto was right behind me, wearing his own purple clothes.

"Wha-what?" I muttered with confusion. Shadow clone?

"Yeah. It was a clone. And, I could care less about that sword but just to make sure, I'll take it from you anyway. But my real mission…" he trailed off & leaned closer to my ear.

"…was to _kill_ you." he whispered & I froze. My throat vibrated, letting out an angry growl & tried to move my arms but they were really paralyzed. I couldn't feel tem at all.

He suddenly smiled at me & pierced my legs with more needles.

"AAAHHH!" I howled. I hung my shaking head & gasped then plopped on the floor.

"Why not just kill me right now?" I wheezed. Why won't he kill me right now? It'll be easier to just finish the job.

"Nah, that won't be any fun. It would be nice to torture you a bit." He smiled & I glared at him.

Kabuto suddenly raised a kunai coated with dark purple liquid & my heart jumped to smell the foul poison.

"You just don't die. But, I made sure this poison will be enough to let you sleep…_forever_." He said, smiling evilly.

I tried to crawl away or just summon my powers but I was too…scared. I didn't know what to do. This whole situation just made me crack.

I looked for a way out & felt someone else's presence.

"GAH!" I heard Kabuto wince & I heard him fall to the ground. After that, my eyes started to blur.

"Gakuren!" I heard Arata yell in alarm but it was muffled. I groaned & my eyes closed as I lost consciousness.

As my eyes slowly opened, I saw I was lying on a soft bed and my eyes dilated as I saw the bright light. I recognized the scent of the room too. It smelled of medicine.

A sigh escaped my lips. In the hospital…_again_.

I turned my head to the double doors & from the small, rectangular window; I saw the side of Salem's face. It looked like he was talking with someone since his lips were moving.

…boy, am I gonna get screamed at again. You have no idea how much I want to jump out the window right now & hide from the terror group. (Salem & Kai are the scariest.)

I slowly tried to sit up but before I could, someone's hand gently pushed me down.

"Can you please, try to sit still?" yuki sighed with exasperated & worried eyes. I blinked at her & lay back down the soft bed. I chuckled at her. she was acting like a mother now.

"Okay." I smirked making her roll her eyes.

"Why do you keep getting beat up? It looks like you age too quickly." She said teasingly. This time it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"Can you promise me that you won't get hurt like this again?" she asked with pouting eyes. I stared at her & looked away.

I can't promise that. So, I'll just keep my mouth shut. Since she might hit me too.

When I didn't answer, she sighed and stood up.

"Sorry about that comment. I know you're in the 'evolution' process." She apologized with a bright smile.

Yeah. She's right. The evolution process. It's what teenage griffins in our clan go through. Only close friends of our clan knew about the name of the process. Other people simply call it the growing up stage, while our enemies call it 'puberty.'

Annoying really.

As Yuki walked away from my bed, my heart suddenly felt heavy for some reason.

I grabbed her hand & she turned to me with a slightly shocked look and pink tinged cheeks.

"Where you going?" I blurted out.

"Oh, you need to rest and I'm just bothering you. Go back to sleep." She said with her cheerful smile. Before I could ask her to stay for a while longer, she had already left the room.

I blinked & lay back on the bed, not knowing whether to sleep or not.

As I daydreamed, the doors flew open, slamming the walls & I flinched to see Moon stomping over to me with an extremely angry expression.

I gulped. Here come the fists.

Once he reached me, he grabbed a fistful of my shirt. Kai & the others came running in with worried expressions.

"Moon!" Salem yelled & Moon turned to him, glaring. Salem froze & kept quiet. Well, know he knows how a real glare is. Salem's glare is no match for Moon's.

Moon turned his glare to me this time.

"Why did you put up that barrier?" his voice growled as his purple eyes slightly glowed.

"I-" My voice started but Moon threw his hand to my mouth, keeping me from talking.

"You knew you were still recovering & you're in the evolution process! _I_ could've taken care of Kabuto!" he roared, making my ears ring.

What did _I_ say?... I was speechless. Moon was actually yelling at me. He's _never_ gotten angry enough to actually _raise_ his voice. Actually, I just thought he would squeeze the life out of me, crying his eyes out.

He hung his head so I couldn't see his face.

"I'm your older brother…" he trailed off & my eyes widened as a tear dropped onto the white blanket on my lap.

"Hey, stop crying…I'm alright anyway." I said with a small smile while I put my hand on his shoulder.

"NO YOU'RE NOT ALRIGHT!" he yelled as he slammed his hand on the bed, making me slightly jump.

"How many times you've been wounded… and I didn't do a thing." He said with a low voice.

Once he looked up at me, my heart sank as seeing the river of tears flowing down his face.

"I promised dad…" he hiccupped & I stared at him.

"I-I promised that…I'll protect you." he cried. After that sentence, it hit me.

Moon was a person who kept his promises & failing to do something for someone even if it was a small thing, he already feels guilty.

A wave of guilt crashed through me. Right when I was about to put my hand on his back and apologize, he looked up at me with puffy, red eyes.

"I know you're just going to say you're okay & all…but, you know how prideful I am about these things. So, next time…" he trailed off & looked down.

"Don't do things on your own. You have friends & family." He reminded. I blinked & smiled a bit.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. Really. I just couldn't control myself." I apologized. He kept his hand down & put his hand on my head.

Suddenly, he pulled me to him & squeezed the life out of me.

"WAAA!" Rennieee~ That damn glasses hurt you again!" he cried as he petted my head. I guess 'glasses' would be Kabuto.

The edge of my mouth twitched with irritation & I winced as the wound on my stomach felt like it opened up.

"Oh! Sorry!" Moon yelled in alarm.

"Uh-huh." I groaned. Kai & the others slowly approached us, wondering if it was safe to come closer to us.

"Well, Gaku, just rest. And _please_…" Salem growled. "Do not get beat up anymore." He said & I nodded with a smirk.

"It makes us look _stupid_." He added & I flinched, losing my smile.

"Yeah, it's really _bothering_." Kai sighed.

"Mhmmm, _troublesome_." Ryuu said with a straight face.

"Yup. Don't be such a _war freak_." Arata agreed. The edge of my mouth twitched as I flinched.

"YOU GUYS ARE GANGING UP ON ME!" I roared, making all of them laugh.


End file.
